Across Oceans
by oseana
Summary: AU. A mysterious pirate named Chat Noir suddenly attacks the Kingdom of Paris during Princess Marinette's sixteenth birthday, kidnapping her and taking her to his ship as a prisoner. Strange as it is, the princess begins to realize that the rogue pirate might not be what he appears.
1. Chapter One

**Across Oceans - Chapter One**

Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a bright and prosperous kingdom. It was located in a peninsula, making fishing and exporting simple for the townsfolk. Travelers of all kind gathered in the kingdom to trade and sell goods from distant lands. They specialized in different crafts such as apocatheries, agriculture, and, above all, their world-reknowned patisseries. This lively nation was ruled by the kind king, King Thomas, and his queen, Queen Sabine. They had one heir: their daughter, Marinette.

This kingdom and its people lived happily through the years under the rule of the monarchs. They were intelligent, capable of talking their way out of wars, and fair, never once using their power to extort from their people. They lived this way until the year Princess Marinette reached the age of sixteen, officially eligible as a bride to any noble suitors that might wish to court her.

"I don't like him," The young princess huffed as she crossed her arms in irritation.

"Oh, please, darling. At least try to get to know him. He comes from a nice family," Queen Sabine begged, shooting the young nobleman an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Mama, but I don't like him. I don't even want to get married!" Marinette exasperated.

"Sabine, she's right. Maybe it's too early. After all, she only just turned sixteen hours ago. Can't we just enjoy the celebration for now and deal with this debacle later?" King Tom sighed.

Sabine thought for a moment before finally conceding to her daughter's wishes. She waved the young suitor away, dismissing him from the throne room.

"Thank you, Papa!" Marinette thanked happily, kissing her father's cheek. King Tom chuckled at his daughter's glee, while the queen rolled her eyes as she smiled wistfully at her family.

"Alright, alright. It's time to go out into the square," Queen Sabine stated, "The people have prepared something for you, dear."

Marinette smiled widely at the thought and quickly made her way out of the throne room as fast as she could in her high heels, distracted by her excitement that she didn't see a wrinkle in the velvet carpet which caused her to fall face first on the floor. Several of the ladies-in-waiting rushed to the princess' side, helping her up as delicately as they could, while the king and queen watched embarrassedly at their daughter's etiquette.

"Sorry!" Marinette exclaimed, her face red as she wiggled her way out of the grasp of her servants.

Marinette let out an air of excitement as she saw the millions of lights decorating the town's square. There were people bustling around, handing food and laughing amongst each other. There were red peonies and yellow marigolds embelleshing the shopfronts around. Her favorite music by her favorite singer was echoing through the city as the artist practiced for the night's events. As she looked down from the balcony, Marinette felt warmth spread through her. Her people were doing this just for her, and she couldn't be more grateful.

"Isn't it lovely, my little ladybug?" She heard King Tom ask behind her.

"Yes, it's wonderful, Papa!" Marinette answered with tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry, Marinette. It's not ladylike," Queen Sabine tutted behind her softly.

Marinette couldn't help it and burst into tears, embracing her parents tightly in gratitude.

"Thank you for everything, Mama, Papa," She thanked sloppily as fluids washed down her face.

"What are we going to do with you?" Queen Sabine sighed, taking a hankerchief from a lady-in-waiting and wiping down her daughter's face.

Marinette kept sobbing but stopped as she heard a clanking of metal approach. She turned to see what was making the sound and saw a knight come forward. It was Sir Nathanaël, a childhood friend of hers.

"Nate!" Marinette exclaimed, leaving her parents to hug her friend.

"Hello, Your Majesty," Nathanaël greeted gleefully as he reciprocated her embrace, "Happy birthday."

"Sir Nathanaël, glad to see you made it to the night's events," King Tom said as he watched the exchange between the two friends.

"Unfortunately, I'm not here to celebrate," The knight stated sullenly. Marinette's face fell as she saw her friend's mood go south. She let go of him and watched what he had to say. "If it's alright, I would like to have a word with the king for a few moments."

"Of course," King Tom answered seriously, following the knight into the throne room.

"Don't worry, Your Highnesses," Nathanaël said to the queen and the princess, "It's just a small matter that I need to discuss with the king. Please enjoy the rest of the festivities."

Marinette and Sabine nodded understandingly at the knight, a look of worry on their faces. They watched as the doors to the throne room close, exhaling concernedly. Marinette, in all her curiosity, raced up to the doors and eavesdropped through the cracks. Her mother debated with herself whether to stop her daughter, but decided to let it go because she wanted to know what was happening herself.

"...the pirate Chat Noir has issued a threat..."

"...security must be tightened..."

"...the princess must never know..."

Marinette couldn't hear very clearly as to what her father and friend were talking about, but caught on to the words "Chat Noir" and "threat," which was more than enough for her to fully understand what was happening.

Chat Noir was one of the very few adversaries that her father wasn't able to talk out of an altercation. The pirate had been threatening the kingdom for years, attacking small fishing boats and stealing from some of the businesses near the shore. He had never passed the port, however, merely choosing to conduct petty thievery. What was strange about this pirate was that no one had ever seen him or his ship or even his crew. At least, no one that was left to survive.

If Chat Noir was coming tonight, the very night of her birthday, to mainland, then she and her people would be in great danger. She needed to cancel the celebration.

"Mama, we have to-" Marinette started.

"All right, people of Paris! Are you ready to celebrate Princess Marinette's sixteenth brthday?" A booming voice asked from the square. The crowd cheered in bustling excitement.

" _No!_ " Marinette thought, her eyes widening.

"Marinette, come now," Queen Sabine called, "The festivities are starting. The people prepared this for you. You have to come and watch."

"But-"

"No 'buts'! Your father and Nathanaël will be out soon, so come and enjoy while you still can," The queen interrupted.

Marinette sighed, hanging her head low as she realized there was no stopping the celebration. She hoped, in the heaviness of her heart, that the guards her father ordered to secure their safety could successfully protect them.

"Okay," Marinette answered reluctantly, making her way to her mother.

A servant quickly pulled up a plush, velvet chair to Marinette as she approached the balcony. The princess thanked the servant warily, eliciting a worried look from her mother who was next to her.

"Is everything alright, Marinette?" Sabine asked.

"Papa and Nate were talking about-"

"One, two, one, two, three, four," The singer counted before singing Marinette's favorite song.

"Isn't that lovely, Marinette? It's your favorite song!" Sabine gushed as her train of thought got diverted to the concert below them.

"Yes, Mama," Marinette hummed worriedly, deciding to let it go.

"What did I miss?" The king asked as he emrged from the throne room doors.

"The concert is started, Your Majesty," the royal butler answered.

Tom chuckled as he took a seat next to his family, but not before whispering something to the servant, prompting him to nod and discreetly exit the balcony. Marinette decided that her father said something about the impending pirate attack, making her sink into her seat some more.

"Where's Nate?" Marinette asked.

"Don't fret. He just has some knightly duties he needs to attend to tonight, but he did say that he was very sorry he couldn't stay longer," Tom answered with a smile. Marinette knew he was lying, but he didn't know that, so she nonchalantly nodded.

The rest of the concert went through smoothly, easing Marinette's doubts. She was eventually able to push out any worries in her mind, and was able to enjoy herself as she watched the entertainers down at the square and ate her favorite food that the royal chefs cooked for her.

All was well until the final act of the night. A singer by the name of Nino walked up the stage, and Marinette immediately knew that something was off. She had never seen the singer before in her entire life. She made it a point to meet the entertainers of the kingdom. Most of them began as relatively unknown peasants. The princess liked to follow their journey into fame. An event such as this would require years of struggle to be even considered to perform. Who was this Nino? Did he have something to do with Chat Noir's attack?

"Who is he, Papa?" Marinette asked in alarm.

"He's a performer from the neighboring kingdom, Nice. He's well-known there, and I thought you might like him," Tom answered.

Marinette exhaled in relief, watching the performer introduce himself.

"Hello, people of Paris! My name is Nino, and I have a special performance for all of you tonight," Nino called, making the crowd scream in excitement. He turned towards the balcony, sending chills down Marinette's back as she swore that he stared directly into her eyes. "This is for the fair Princess Marinette!"

The crowd cheered, but was immediately replaced with shrieks of panic as the lights illuminating the square were cut off.

"Guards, protect the princess!" King Tom yelled.

Sabine grabbed her daughter's arm and hugged her protectively, running towards the throne room. They were stopped by the king holding them back, placing them behind him protectively. Several shadowed figures emerged from the roofs, sliding down to the palace's balcony and the square, surrounding the people.

"Stay back!" The king ordered the figures as he pointed his sword at them. The guards on the balcony were already knocked out by the plethora of vagabonds showering down onto the area. Marinette squinted her eyes, trying her best to use the moonlight to see their enemies. She looked at one of the fallen guards near her feet and grabbed his sword, raising it at a figure approaching her menacingly.

"Don't come close," Marinette yelled as she saw the figure grin devilishly in the darkness.

"What a feisty princess," He laughed, taking a step towards the royal family.

"Don't touch her," The king boomed.

The figured snickered at the command, twitching his head at one of his comrades. Immediately, the king and queen were both knocked towards the ground.

"No!" Marinette exclaimed. She raised the sword again, pointing it at the four villains cornering her to the rails of the balcony.

"Leave her to me," The leader of the group said, approaching the princess. The three figures backed off instantly.

"Don't come close to me," Marinette exasperated as she felt tears run down her face.

"Oh, don't worry, _Princess_ ," Her enemy slurred, mocking her title as if it was venom dripping from his lips, "We'll treat you well."

The shadow launched himself at her, but the princess swung her weapon at him, making him take out his own sword in defense.

"Oh? She knows how to fight. How exciting," He laughed as the clang of their swords echoed above the screams of the people below the balcony.

"I'm no damsel in distress," Marinette seethed.

"Chat, we have to make this quick. The back up guards are coming," One of the figure's accomplices warned. Marinette's opponent let out an irritated tsk.

"Very well," Chat Noir replied, turning back to the princess, "Unfortunately, my dear, I'm going to have to cut our rendezvous short."

The pirate then started to fire attacks much too fast for the princess' limited repertoire of skill to keep up with. Before she knew it, she was tied up and gagged, a sack covering her head. The pirate carried her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, jumping from roof to roof. She didn't know where they were going, but she sensed that they were near the ocean, because the smell of salt and fish wafted through the cloth.

"Are you sure about this, Chat?" A female voice asked.

"Don't ask questions now, Alya," Her carrier grunted, "This is all part of the plan."

She felt the pirates stop and heard footsteps on wood. She guessed they were on a ship. With the cloth still over her head, she was thrown into a dark room aboard, and whatever light from the moon that had seeped through the sac disappeared completely as her captors slammed the door to the room shut.

Marinette felt hot tears fearfully run down her cheeks as she prayed to herself that her family and her people weren't harmed, effectively lulling herself to sleep as her many thoughts overwhelmed her brain.


	2. Chapter Two

**Across Oceans - Chapter Two**

"Wakey-wakey, Princess," A voice chimed.

Marinette opened her eyes, immediately alarmed that she couldn't see anything. She tried to rub her eyes but was restrained, feeling a rope wrapped around her wrists tightly. She started to thrash around in panic as her memory of the prior night's events came back to her.

"Calm down," The voice laughed, touching her shoulder to take off the sack. Marinette let out a noise in protest, feeling the gag in her mouth tighten.

"Shh, I'm going to take off the sack and the gag if you stop struggling."

Marinette stopped moving and tried her best to sit up. She felt hands untie the sack off her head, and she felt the sudden presence of light burn her eyes. It took her a while to adjust, but she was eventually able to make out the image of her captor. It was a girl. A female pirate. She had red hair and had glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. The princess felt fear race through her mind as the pirate took off her gag.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Marinette questioned.

"I'm Alya. You're on the Black Skeleton right now," Alya replied, kneeling next to the princess on the floor.

Marinette felt pain in her back, not used to sleeping in a tight corset on the floor. She realized how dirty she must have looked. She was still in her party dress from the night before which was now ripped and dirty with dust, its original pinkness dulled down by the grayness of the dirt.

"What is the Black Skeleton?" The princess asked.

"It's a pirate ship," Alya answered simply, getting up and taking some supplies off of the shelves around her.

"Are my people okay? Tell me you savages didn't hurt them!" Marinette exclaimed, watching the pirate's back turned away from her.

"How noble of you to think of your people in a situation you find yourself in," Alya hummed almost sarcastically, "Don't worry. They're fine. We were only after you."

"Why?" Marinette glared.

Alya stared down at the princess pitifully. "I can't say because I don't know myself," She answered, placing a plate of stale cookies on the floor next to the princess, "Here, some breakfast. It's no royal course, but it's something to satisfy your hunger for now."

Alya turned to exit the closet, but Marinette's coice stopped her. "How am I supposed to eat this? My hands are still tied."

"Sorry. You'll have to figure it out," Alya answered quietly, closing the door and drowning the room in darkness. At least the door was made of a cheap kind of wood that had numerous holes, allowing her to see in the small space as sunlight creeped in.

She was in a supply closet of sorts. She was surrounded by barrels and crates labeled with supplies like "lard" and "beer." There were boxes on the shelves around her, but she couldn't really see very well. She realized they were probably out at sea as she felt the boat rock and the sound of waves crashing against the vessel echoed through the room.

Marinette huffed, staring at the plate of sweets next to her in irritation. She felt tears well up in her eyes. She missed her father. She missed her mother. She missed her home. She didn't know these people. She didn't know if they wanted to hurt her or sell her. For all she knew, they could be waiting to take her for themselves, passing her around like a toy, reducing her into a pathetic mess.

She shook her head. No. She wasn't going to let that happen. She was going to fight. She wasn't going to let them use her as a pawn to harm her or her family. After all, what other purpose does her presence hold?

Glaring at the cookies provided to her, she felt her stomach grumble. She didn't want to eat them. She knew what the pirates wanted. They wanted her to eat the food like a dog. They wanted to break her spirit. She wasn't going to let them. She turned away from the food in rebellion. She would rather starve. However, her stomach was groaning loudly, complaining about her decision.

"Shut up," She whispered to her abdomen angrily.

"Talking to yourself already? Much faster for you to sink into insanity than I thought, _Princess_ ," A familiar venomous voice spouted as the door to the closet swung open, "Are you feeling _claws_ -trophobic, perhaps?"

"You," Marinette stated spitefully through grit teeth.

It didn't take a detective to realize that this man was the captain of the ship. He was tall, carrying an aura of authority on his shoulders. He had blond hair and a black mask over his sharp, menacingly green eyes. He had a devilish smirk on his face, smugly hovering over her. His black, leather boots were well kept, and his black blouse looked expensive. He probably stole them from a talented tailor. This was Chat Noir, no doubt about it. He was much younger than she thought he would be.

"Don't take this so _purr-_ sonally, Princess," Chat said menacingly, squatting down to her level, raising her chin up with his gloved finger, "I'm not gonna hurt you... maybe."

She shook his hand away and spat on his feet. "I don't let criminals touch me."

Chat's smug grin fell to an irritated frown as a low growl escaped his lips. Marinette felt her heart pound nervously at the dangerous look he shot her. She gulped down a thick lump in her throat.

"You royals are all the same," Chat huffed, standing up ashe glared at her, "Disgusting."

"How would you know, scum? All you know what to do is hurt and pilage people," Marinette retorted angrily.

"I'd be careful with my words, _Highness,_ " The pirate threatened, causing the young princess to flinch, "I'm not the one tied up here."

Marinette simmered into silence, realizing that he was right. She grit her teeth in her anger.

"Good girl," Chat chuckled, eyeing the plate of treats next to the princess, "it looks like Alya followed my orders. Do you need help eating, Princess? Want me to feed you?" Chat mocked, sardonically waving a cookie at her face. Marinette pathetically looked away.

"Oh, come on, you know you're hungry," The pirate teased.

"I'd rather starve," Marinette spat out.

Chat shrugged, throwing the cookie at her feet, shooting her one last glare before slamming the door shut and leaving her alone in silence. She heard feet shuffle and voices converse through the walls.

"...Make sure she stays alive, Alya. The plan won't go if she's dead."

"Yes, Captain."

She didn't like his voice. She didn't like his face. She didn't like him, not one bit.

For the millionth time that day, the door opened once more, revealing the red-headed pirate that had presented her with food. She was staring down at the princess pitifully, looking genuinely sorry. She entered the small room and closed the door behind her sitting down in front of Marinette, crossing her legs together to make the most of the small space.

"I know you must be scared, Princess," Alya said, "It's not everyday that you get kidnapped by infamous pirates."

Marinette didn't reply, opting to look away from her companion down at the floor next to her.

"But, please, know that we're not the bad guys," Alya reasoned.

"How can you say that?" Marinette retorted, snapping a glare at the female pirate, "For years, you and your crew terrorized my people. And for what? For your own personal gratification? For wealth? Riches? Some sort of sick, twisted pleasure? You all are selfish monsters that think of nothing but yourselves. You steal and pilage and hurt people. Tell me again that you aren't the bad guys."

Alya flinched at the smaller girl's argument. "I guess I deserved that. It's true that we did do those things, but we have our own reasons. Please, believe me. We didn't do it to just hurt people. We had to do it for our survival."

Marinette chose not to respond to the statement, truthfully not knowing what to tell the pirate without disgracing herself, and divert her gaze to her dirtied skirt. "Where are we headed?"

"I... can't say," Alya answered apologetically.

"Oh, Christ, can you say anything?" Marinette asked irritatedly.

"Not very much, I'm afraid," Alya whispered, smiling softly at the princess. She took the cookie dropped by Chat Noir on the floor and blew on it. "I'm sorry about the Captain. He may be crass sometimes, but he's a good man."

"I highly doubt that," Marinette answered spitefully.

Alya sighed and offered the treat to the princess, raising it near her lips. "I promise it's not poisoned. Please eat something."

"No, thank you," The princess grunted.

Alya sighed once more. "What can I do to make you feel better?"

"I don't know; maybe take me home? Return the treasures you've stolen from my people? Turn yourselves in?" Marinette answered sarcastically.

"Princess, please believe me," Alya begged, "We're not here to hurt anyone. We just need your help for... something."

"What thing?"

"I can't say."

Marinette groaned irritatedly again, making the pirate chuckle sadly at the princess' response.

"I'm sorry. But, please," She raised the cookie once more to Marinette's lips, "I just want you to believe that, at least, _I'm_ a good guy. I won't hurt you."

Marinette eyed the baked good warily for a few moments, shooting fleeting glances at the pirate's sincere demeanor, before deciding to take a bite of the treat in her hunger. She realized she didn't even get to eat dinner the night before.

"Thank you," She mumbled as she chewed on the staleness of the baked good.

"No problem," Alya replied, relieved that the princess was finally eating, "I promise that for as long as you're under my care no one can hurt you." _Except for the Captain._ The words hung in the air, but Marinette decided that she would give the pirate minimal trust. It was better to have at least one ally.

"I'll hold you to it."

* * *

Hours later, Marinette was awoken from her nap as she heard boisterous laughter and loud music from the outside of her closet. Unlike the night before, the ship was lit up with a myriad of lanterns not unlike the ones from her birthday celebration, emitting a golden hue through the holes of the door. She scooched her body closer to the wooden structure and peeked through one of the cracks.

She saw about twenty or so men crowded on the deck, dancing and laughing as they drank beer and ate food. There were two women on the side, one was Alya who was gleefully joined with the men in celebration, and the other was an older woman, probably in her late thirties, with bright red hair who was sitting on a wooden bench as she sewed a piece of cloth with thread, possibly embroidering or something equally quaint. Nino, the suspicious performer from her birthday was on a platform, was playing his guitar as he sang party songs, with two other men who were playing the violin and the harpsichord. It looked as though they were celebrating her capture.

She knew that singer was up to no good.

"To the Captain, who, without his brilliance, we might never have achieved all that we have!" A man from the crowd yelled amidst the joyful music.

"Hazzah!" The rest of the crew responded in agreement.

The celebration of her capture left a strange feeling in the princess' heart. It made her feel like an object. She supposed it was expected. These were pirates, and she was a princess. Any criminal who was successful in capturing royalty would feel the same, but still, she couldn't shake the feeling of crushing objectification away from her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw the older woman turn to her direction. It looked as though that the woman realized that the princess had been staring through the cracks, because she put her embroidery down and slowly made her way to the closet. Instantly, Marinette backed up to the wall of the room as her heart left her chest. She heard the footsteps approach the room, making her palms sweat and itch as it rubbed against the coarse rope. The door opened and washed the room in the golden glow of the deck's lanterns, reaveling the woman.

"Hello there," She greeted warmly. She reminded Marinette of the baker's wife. She looked kind. "My name is Tikki."

Marinette folded her legs towards her chest insecurely as the older woman crouched down in front of her slowly.

"You must be Princess Marinette," Tikki hummed. Marinette nodded slowly. Something about this woman made Marinette feel much safer than she did with anybody else. "I remember you from when you were only a babe."

"How?" Marinette asked, eyes wide in surprise.

Tikki chuckled. "I was a royal nurse to your kingdom a long time ago, believe it or not. I took care of you when you were still days old."

"What-? How-?" Marinette stuttered.

"I was only there for a few months before I left," Tikki explained, "I met my husband, you see."

"And he's a pirate?" Marinette asked, immediately regretting it as she realized how crass she sounded. Tikki seemed unfazed, however, and hummed in confirmation.

"Yes, he is the Captain's first mate," She answered.

"Why would you join such savages?" Marinette asked, feeling more at ease but realizing that her mouth had run without a filter again, "Sorry."

"Don't be," Tikki laughed, "My sister said the same thing when I eloped with my husband, Plagg," She let out a reminiscencing breath, "It's understandable that you feel that way. I would, too, if I was in your position, but they're not so bad once you get to know them."

"It hardly seems that way," Marinette argued, motioning to her bound hands and feet.

"I know," Tikki agreed woefully, "They can seem very cruel, but they have their reasons."

"That's what Alya kept telling me, but she wouldn't tell me what reasons you all mean," Marinette replied in hopes of getting some sort of clue from the former nurse.

Tikki didn't answer and instead smiled at the princess. She decided to unbound the rope around the princess' feet, still leaving her hands tied together, and let the princess stretch her legs.

"I'm sorry that I can't fully unbind you. The captain might actually throw me off board if I do so," Tikki chuckled apologetically.

"This is more than enough. Thank you, Tikki," Marinette thanked. She felt pins and needles shoot through her lower limbs, making her feel uncomfortable but relieved that she could now move them. She realized that her shoes must have fallen at some point during her kidnapping. Tikki got up and opened the closet door.

"I'll be back with a change of clothes and a blanket. That corset must be horribly uncomfortable," The older woman informed.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you so much," The princess thanked again.

"Not a problem, Your Highness," Tikki smiled before exiting the room.

Once more, Marinette was left in the small space. She felt relieved that she had a real friend on board. The fact that Tikki was once lawfully affiliated with her family made Marinette feel tons better than she had all day. She wiggled her toes in excitement. She could finally get a change of clothes.

Tikki came back with food, a small quilt and a simple brown peasant's dress folded neatly in her arms. "I'm sorry that it's not very much, but it's the best that I could find."

"This is more than enough, Tikki. Thank you for your kindness," Marinette uttered in true gratitude as the older woman helped her out of her corset and skirt, and into the fresh clothes. Marinette felt instant relief to her abdomen and comfort through her aching body.

"Why are you doing this? Wouldn't Chat Noir be upset that you're doing this for me?" Marinette asked worriedly. The last thing she wanted was for her only connection to home be terminated by an angry pirate.

"Don't worry. That boy is a big softy underneath that mask," Tikki reassured, rolling her eyes. She started to feed the princess slowly, to which she graciously accepted it, feeling much more comfortable with the woman than she had with Alya hours prior.

"Okay, if you're sure," Marinette replied warily as she chewed.

The two sat in pleasant silence as Tikki fed the princess the warm stew. Marinette felt at ease with the woman. She felt safe even though she knew her guard should be up. It was just that something about Tikki reminded her of home, and for that, she was tons grateful.

"Don't worry, Princess," Tikki insisted once more, finishing feeding the young girl and standing up to leave the small closet, "you'll see later that the Captain really does mean well. He always does what's best for the good of all. I'm just sorry with the means he chose to get there."

Marinette didn't answer and watched Tikki's ladylike silhourtte disappear behind the closed closet door. Instantly, she felt something that she was surprised existed given her situation.

For the first time in twenty-four hours, the young princess felt hope.


	3. Chapter Three

**Across Oceans - Chapter Three**

"...stop it, _Captain_. I know that you can't stand the fact that she's locked in there like an animal. I know you feel guilty so why not just let her walk around?"

"You don't know how I feel, Tikki. What if she escapes? Then all our hard work goes to hell? I don't think so."

"Stop being so dramatic, you child. I'll watch her and make sure that she doesn't jump overboard and kill herself. In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! There's nowhere for her to escape. She's been tied up like that and trapped in a closet for _days_ now, Adrien!"

"Tikki, you know better than to call me that." Silence. "Fine. But she can't leave your side. The minute she starts showing signs of even trying to escape, she doesn't just go back to the closet; she gets strapped to the leech!"

"Whatever you say, Chat."

Marinette couldn't completely hear the conversation. They were much too far away. All she knew was that Tikki was fighting for her right to leave the closet, to which she was immensely grateful.

Five days had passed since the day of her kidnapping, and not once was she ever allowed to leave the small supply closet outside of her need for the even smaller bathroom next door. Those few, short moments of being in the fresh air were her only solace before it was cut short with the cramped bathroom.

Otherwise, she did her best to exercise her legs by taking small steps in the six by five feet supply closet, but she knew it wasn't enough. She was getting skinnier and weaker by the day, and she knew because her ropes were getting looser. Any more days in her situation, she would be thin enough to slip out of the ties and escape if it nod had been for the locks on the exterior of the closet door.

Tikki and Alya had been kind to her, visiting her everyday to feed her and read her books when she was bored. Alya had been nice enough to tie her a small hammock in the room so she could sleep better. Tikki came in every morning to give her a fresh change of clothes. She was thankful. She knew that they were the only reasons as to why she hadn't gone completely mad.

The door suddenly shifted open, making Marinette jolt away from its frame. Tikki entered with a wide grin on her face.

"Guess what, Marinette?" She asked excitedly, "I finally got permission from the captain to let you out of the closet."

"Really?" The princess asked, eyes wide in excitement.

"Although, he did have some conditions before I can let you out..." Tikki trailed.

"Anything!" Marinette exclaimed desperately.

"Well, you can't leave my side at any time. The Captain is afraid that you fall off board and hurt yourself," _lies_ , Marinette thought, but she didn't say anything, "We're currently in the middle of the ocean, and falling off board is _dangerous,"_ Tikki said, but Marinette knew the hidden meaning behind her words.

"I promise not to jump overboard to my death, Tikki," Marinette swore, "I know you're putting yourself on the line, and I am so grateful for that."

"Another thing," Tikki said in a tone that made it as though she was ashamed, "he wants you to report to his quarters every night before I return you to the closet."

Marinette's eyes widened as her heart sunk in fear. "Why? What does he want from me?"

Tikki could tell what sort of morbid thoughts were running through Marinette's mind, and she couldn't blame the princess. "Don't worry. He won't do anything _like that_ to you. I'll be there right beside you if it makes you feel better. He just wants to make sure that you won't try to hurt yourself."

"Okay, Tikki. If you say so," Marinette gulped.

Tikki shot her a reassuring smile before gently untying the rope binding Marinette's arms. Immediately, she felt relief as she felt blood circulate through her fingers. She looked down on her wrists and saw that there were red circles and chaffing around them, but she decided that they could be in worse condition. Her arms were sore and felt numb. They felt completely weak, and she had a hard time raising them above her waist.

"Ow," She groaned, rubbing her arms.

"Sorry," Tikki apologized, "They'll feel better after a few minutes."

Tikki slowly led the princess out the closet. Marinette felt emotional as she saw the blue sky above her. She saw the birds soaring and the sun shining. Fluffy clouds were decorating the heavens. It almost made her feel better. Almost.

She had been onboard for almost a week, and this was the first time that she could actually see the entirety of the deck, only ever being able to peep parts of it through the holes on her door. It was a relatively large ship. There was a huge lower deck and a smaller upper deck. A few men were mopping and cleaning the floors, making the ship immaculate. A large sail was hung above them, puffing out to the direction of the wind.

"Wow," Marinette gasped.

"Pretty, right?" Tikki asked, smiling at the young girl's reaction.

"Tikki," One of the swabbing men called, "is that the princess?"

"Yes, Kim. This is the Princess," Tikki answered. The man excitedly came up to the ladies, making Marinette cower behind Tikki in her fright.

"Oh, don't worry, Princess. I won't hurt you, I promise," Kim said softly, raising a hand to his chest. Marinette wasn't convinced and glared at him from behind Tikki's shoulder like a stubborn child.

"She's... okay, I think," Tikki sighed.

"How did you get Captain to let her walk around without any ropes?" The crewman asked, insistantly smiling at the princess.

"Oh, you know how he gets," Tikki responded. Kim nodded knowingly.

"Yeah, I get it," He laughed, "Well, I should get back to cleaning. I'll let you two explore some more."

"Okay, I'll see you at dinner," Tikki waved as he returned to his station.

"I don't like him," Marinette declared, emerging from Tikki's back.

The older woman merely exhaled understandingly before continuing on to lead the princess around the ship, giving her quick explanations about each part of the vessel. They would occasionally encounter a crewman excitedly greeting them hello, eliciting a similar response from Marinette the same way she acted towards Kim. She hated these men. They were the ones that attacked her people and her family during her birthday.

Tikki guided her to a small staircase at the back deck, leading to the second level of the ship. Walking down, Marinette could see a long hallway of expensive looking doors. The hall was lit up with tiny lanterns, intricately designed, no doubt made by a master craftsman. How much did these pirates steal from the rich? Marinette felt the hate in her stomach bubble.

Tikki led her down the hallway, occasionally stopping at one to show her some form of hobby behind the door such as a fencing room and a library. Tikki explained that not a lot of the men used those rooms except for the Captain. Marinette was surprised that such a horrid man could have such refined hobbies.

They eventually reached the kitchen where she was able to see a big man wear an impossibly small chef's hat as he cooked a meal. He had remained quiet as Tikki greeted him, a blank expression on his face as he grunted in acknowledgment before returning to his task. Marinette blinked. She already liked him.

"This is Gorilla," Tikki introduced, "he's the one responsible for cooking us delicious meals."

"Gorilla?" Marinette clarified.

"Well, that's what the Captain calls him, so we decided to keep the name. He doesn't like to talk very much, but he doesn't bother anyone so we leave him be. No one knows his real name or where he came from," Tikki answered as they watched the large man stir a large pot of something.

"Cool," The princess chimed.

They continued the tour all the way to Tikki's quarters near the end of the long hallway. It was a room larger than most that they entered, minimally decorated with a small dresser and a hanging picture of Tikki and a rugged black-haired man. Marinette inferred that it was Tikki's husband, Plagg.

"This is my room. I share it with my husband," Tikki explained.

"Is that him?" Marinette asked, pointing to the portrait above the queen-sized bed.

"Yep," Tikki blushed, "we got lucky that he's the Captain's first mate. This is the second largest room after Chat's."

Marinette smiled as she saw the expression of love on her companion's face. They continued on with their tour.

"Tikki, don't you ever wish you had children?" Marinette asked.

"Mm, sometimes I do," Tikki answered thoughtfully, "but, Plagg and I are entirely content with what we have. This entire crew is basically our children. We can't possibly afford to take care of a baby with our lifestyle."

Marinette saw another set of stairs, but Tikki led her away from them. "Aren't we going down?"

"No, the third deck is where the men row and sleep. They tend to get... rowdy after a few months without seeing a woman," Tikki explained, taking her back up to the upper deck.

"Oh," Marinette said, understanding the underlying meaning of Tikki's words.

"But, they're not bad people," Tikki defended, "They're just poor souls that didn't get the chance to know how to act."

Marinette didn't answer and followed Tikki up the stairs. The older woman led the princess to a small area in the smaller upper deck where a small bench and a basket of knitting tools were located.

"This is where I like to spend most of my time," Tikki said, bending over to pick up her tools, "Being out at sea as the only woman besides Alya can get rather taxing, so I knit and sew during the days I get bored."

Marinette sat on the bench and watched her companion set the tools next to her. "Would you like to knit while we wait for nightfall? We have a few hours."

The young princess excitedly nodded her head. Tikki smiled in relief before handing her a set of knitting needles and yarn. "I loved to make clothes back at the castle. I used to make them for my family and my best friend Nate," Marinette hummed, suddenly feeling sad and homesick. Tikki noticed her sudden silence but remained quiet as not to make the princess even more upset.

The two ladies spent the rest of the day quietly knitting, occasionally conversing about life on the ship and what it was like being married to a pirate. Marinette had a harder time, her arms still in pain from being bound for nearly a week, making her work sloppier than usual. She got the hang of it after a while and was happily knitting away.

She knew better than to ask questions about what they planned to do with her and where they were going, but kept her curiosity at the tip of her tongue in case Tikki showed signs of mentioning such information. She didn't, and Marinette was left in ambiguity.

Eventually, night came and enveloped the ship in darkness. Torches were lit up, illuminating the boat against the dark sky. Marinette realized that she hadn't seen the captain of the ship all day throughout their tour.

"Tikki, where was the captain all day?" She asked as she looped the yarn on her needles.

"I don't really know," The older woman answered, "He doesn't like coming out during the day, so he spends most of his time in the lower deck in one of the recreational rooms."

"Who is he? How did he become such a cruel man? Surely, a man that enjoys such tasteful things must not have always been a ruthless pirate," Marinette mumbled, making Tikki giggle.

"Yes, the captain wasn't always like this," She agreed.

"And he looks very young! This ship has been pilaging my country for decades. Is he much older than I think he is?" Marinette continued.

Tikki didn't reply but smiled at the young teenager's brilliance as she put the knitting needles away. "Ho, now. It's time for dinner. We'll finish knitting tomorrow."

"Okay," Marinette huffed, realizing that Tikki wasn't going to say more.

The princess followed the woman down into the dining hall where many of the men were already sat at tables, eating and conversing amongst themselves. They all paused as they saw the princess come out from behind the door, scaring her and making her hide behind her companion.

"Don't worry," Tikki assured her, grabbing her hand delicately and leading her to the very back of the dining hall where only a few people were sitting.

"Princess, come sit next to me!"

"Hey, beautiful!"

"Over here!"

Marinette hated these men. They were acting like wild animals, and while she loved animals, she hated people that acted as such. They sat at a table occupied by one man that she recognized as Nino. He was happily eating by himself, humming a tune she recognized as her favorite song.

"Hello, Nino," Tikki greeted.

"Tikki!" He said in acknowledgement. He turned to Marinette and shot her a smile. "Princess."

Out of all these men, Marinette decided whom she hated the most after the captain. Tikki placed a hand on top of hers to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. Marinette didn't want to sit with this man, but she didn't have a choice. Tikki was already sitting down, and Marinette couldn't leave her side.

"Sorry about your party, dude," Nino apologized, but the princess knew he was only saying it to mock her, "But happy birthday, still."

Marinette didn't answer and glared at the singer, to which he laughed.

"Don't be like that, Your Highness! I wasn't the one that actually took you," He reasoned.

"Yes, but you were an accomplice," The princess retorted.

"I was only doing my job. I was just singing at a concert I was hired for," He replied, stuffing his mouth with food.

"Then how on earth did you end up in a pirate ship of all places?" Marinette spat.

"I was kidnapped, too?" He joked. Marinette didn't like that joke.

"Kids, hush now. We're at the table. Don't fight," Tikki pacified.

"Fine," Nino agreed, "Truce?" He reached out a hand to the princess. She stared at it for a while before conceding.

"Truce." She didn't shake his hand.

"Hey, hey, hey," A voice greeted as she approached the table. Marinette turned to see that Alya was coming, and she felt instantly relieved.

"Hey, babe," Nino waved, kissing the girl. Marinette wondered how a nice person like Alya could be in a relationship with such a scary man.

"Looks like Tikki's persuasion skills worked," Alya said as she winked at the princess.

"You know the effect I have on the captain," The older woman said simply as she began eating her meal.

The four continued their meal, conversing about their days and what they were planning to do for the next week. Marinette decided to stay quiet, listening intently in an attempt to get some sort of clue as to what they were planning to do with her. They mostly stayed vague, only mentioning things like practicing swordsmanship and cleaning quarters. She didn't realize that she had scooched over so close to Tikki in her insecurity that they were bumping elbows. Apologizing, she inched away.

Eventually, the night came to a close, and it was time to go to bed. Tikki kept her promise to the captain and started to lead the princess to the Captain's Quarters, coaching her on feeling more relaxed and less scared of the pirate. Tikki tried her best to reassure Marinette that Chat wasn't going to hurt her, but the princess kept her guard up.

"...and then we take her to the- Hey, Tikki," A raven-haired man greeted as Tikki entered the Captain's Quarters. Marinette stayed outside near the door.

"Hello, my love," She replied with a warm smile, "I brought the princess like you wanted, Chat."

"Bring her in," A gruff voice she recognized as Chat's muttered.

Tikki placed a hand behind Marinette's back and pushed her inside the room and closing the door. The princess rebelliously stared down at the floor, refusing to look at her captors in the eye.

"I should get going, Chat," The raven-haired man she decided was Plagg said before exiting the room.

"Alright, Plagg. I'll meet with you tomorrow."

Marinette heard footsteps approach her, but she stubbornly kept her eyes down at the floor. She saw a pair of leather shoes in front of hers and realized that Chat Noir was now in front of her. She resisted the urge to sprint out of the room and jump off the boat into the ocean.

"Did you have fun today, Princess?" He asked, taking a lock of her hair in his fingers. Marinette's head shot up and glared at him, maintaining her silence.

"Don't scare her, Chat," Tikki demanded, making the captain let go of the lock. He sighed and turned his heel at her, sitting in an armchair by a window.

Marinette realized that this room was the most grandiose out of all the rooms she had seen all day. It was decorated with shelves of leather-bound books and intricate trinkets. Expensive-looking paintings hung on the wall, and a large bed with silk sheets was against the left wall of the room. The floors were not like the ones from outside, being made of shiny marble instead of the mahogany everywhere else. It freaked her out. If she didn't know better, she would say the room should be in a grand hall instead of a lowly pirate ship.

"Was she good today?" He asked as if she were a child left at a daycare.

"Yes, she did exactly what you said," Tikki answered confidently.

"She should. Otherwise, we're binding her again," He mocked, making the princess visibly flinch.

"Chat," Tikki warned, protectively placing a hand on the princess' arm.

"Fine," He responded, waving his hand dismissively, "you may leave."

Tikki wasted no time and led the princess out the room. She knew that the young girl was terribly frightened, and she didn't want to be cruel as to make her face the person that had stripped her away from her family.

"His room was much nicer than everywhere else, Tikki," Marinette said as she followed Tikki back to her closet.

"He _is_ the captain," The older woman replied.

Marinette remained quiet as they approached the small room. She willingly entered it and sat on her hammock, realizing that there was now an oil lamp on top of the barrel next to her hammock, as well as several books.

"I supposed that since you have your hands free now that you should be able to read at night before you go to bed," Tikki explained almost sheepishly. Marinette felt overwhelming gratitude towards the woman and embraced her.

"Thank you for your kindness," The princess whispered. It couldn't have been easy to convince a horrible pirate to give her such luxuries.

"No problem, Princess," Tikki replied before bidding the young girl good night.

Once more, Marinette was left in her tiny supply closet, but this time she could actually see. She gratuitously took a book from the barrel and saw that Tikki had fittingly given her a copy of _The Beauty and the Beast_. Marinette giggled at the irony, but she knew that this was no fairy tale, and Chat wouldn't turn into a handsome prince. She was a prisoner for some evil purpose that they wanted to fulfill. She shouldn't be trusting anyone.

But she supposed that she should make the best of her situation and opened the story.


	4. Chapter Four

**Across Oceans - Chapter Four**

Marinette scrunched up her eyebrows as she tried her best to copy Tikki's intricate knotting. It was a new technique that she had never seen anyone do before. Tikki told her that a village woman from a land called Ethiopia taught her how to do it on a loom, but Tikki taught herself to do it with knitting needles. It made for a gorgeous pattern, and Marinette stubbornly decided that she wasn't going to stop until she learned it.

About a week had passed with Marinette's new routine on the Black Skeleton. Her captors became much more lax with her security, allowing her to leave her closet by herself during the day to move around the ship. She took advantage of the new found freedom, visiting mostly the fencing room and the sewing room. She liked to go into the kitchen and sit as she watched Gorilla cook some form of stew. From the time she had been on board, Marinette realized that all the chef knew how to cook were different forms of stew. It made her miss the fancy puff pastries that were well known in her country.

She released a sigh of relief as she successfully folded the thread into the way she wanted.

She found herself rather enjoying her new life on the boat. She became more at ease with the men on board, although she still had moments where her discomfort took over. When that happened, whomever crewman she was talking to would back off, knowing how delicate the princess was about personal space, which she appreciated knowing that it must be out of the norm for them.

Marinette picked up a baby blue piece of yarn and started to weave it to the blanket she was making, trying her best to remember how Tikki did it.

If she had to pick one thing that she absolutely hated about her new daily life, it would be the time after dinner. She would normally spend her evening eating with her friends and Nino (who she still held an extinguished candle to). Occasionally, they were joined by Tikki's husband, Plagg, but she mostly saw him inside the Captain's Quarters with Chat Noir, discussing something about her presence but they would always cut their conversation short once she entered the room.

Chat Noir. Almost a month had she lived on this ship. Never once had she ever seen Chat Noir's face behind the mask, neither did she have the desire to. Every night, when she went to his room to give him her report (which more or less lasted for a good twenty seconds before she was shooed away), he would always stare at her with the most demeaning glare as if she were a disobedient dog and ask Tikki if she "had been good that day." Tikki knew that Marinette hated it whenever he asked the question and always tried to play peacekeeper between them, but she couldn't stop the two from absolutely abhorring each other. Marinette had always been a kind and fair princess, always seeing the best in people before placing judgement, but when it came to the pirate, she had no interest in getting to know him at all. It seemed to be reciprocated on his end as well.

The princess huffed happily as she was able to successfully able to intertwine the blue yarn to the red one she already weaved. It didn't matter, of course. She could care less whether or not a disgraceful criminal thought horrible of her. She wasn't the one manipulating an entire country by kidnapping their princess.

"Land ho!" She heard a crewman exclaim from the crow's nest.

She dropped her knitting and looked over her shoulder to see that they were, indeed, nearing an island. Hope sparked in her. Maybe she would be able to escape once they docked, or maybe even swim to shore when no one was looking once they were close enough.

"I know what you're thinking, and I can already tell you that it's a horrible idea," Tikki sighed, knowing full well what sort of thoughts were running through the young princess' mind.

"What? No, what plans? I'm not thinking of any plans," Marinette stammered, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

"Okay, Marinette. Whatever you say. But, just remember that Chat," Tikki said, shaking her head, "he always finds a way to get what he wants. And if he wants you to stay on this ship, he's going to keep you on this ship."

"Yes, Tikki. I understand," She muttered disheartenedly.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Princess," The older woman responded, "If it was up to me, we would have found a different way to execute the plan that didn't include hurting you."

"I know, Tikki."

"And-"

"-You only want to help me help you. I know, Tikki," Marinette interrupted quietly as she resumed her weaving.

Tikki shot the princess an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Marinette."

The royal turned to her former nurse and smiled sadly at her in reassurance. "You know, I would cooperate a lot more if you would tell me my purpose here in your guys' _very honorable and not at all pirate-like_ plan," She joked softly.

"I would if I could, Princess," The older woman replied, "Time will come when you can know everything."

"Yes, yes. I know," Marinette dismissed, disappointedly continuing her knitting, "Surely, I can't get off the ship when we dock, but can you at least tell me where we are and what we're doing here?"

Tikki looked hesitant but decided to answer the princess' question. "We're in Normandy right now. We're here to drop Nino off."

Her heart soared at the sound of the kingdom. She loved Normandy. She went to live there every summer since she was a girl, save for this year, because she was, well, kidnapped. She loved the crafts. She loved the people. She loved the cities, and the shops, and the wonderful things she found whenever she explored the huge forest by the castle. The only thing she couldn't stand about the country was the king's only daughter, Princess Chloe Bourgeois. She had such a sharp tongue that made Marinette's nightly conversations with Chat Noir seem pleasant.

"Nino? Why just Nino? Did you all finally realize how conniving and annoying he is?" Marinette grunted.

Tikki laughed. "No. It's just that he needs to get on a boat to take him back to Nice. He's a famous singer over there, you know."

"I heard," The blunette answered, remembering her father say something along those lines at her party, "And I suppose the reason why we travelled all the way to Normandy for this is so that Nino won't be linked to the Black Skeleton?"

"Very sharp, Your Highness," Tikki smiled proudly.

"I try," Marinette replied, "but, still. Why is Nino even here in the first place? He doesn't look like he belongs on a pirate ship."

"He is a dear friend of the captain from before-" Tikki slapped a hand over her lips, "I've already said too much."

"What? No. I don't think you've said enough. From before what? Before Chat was a pirate?" Marinette insisted curiously.

Tikki shook her head adamantly. "I'm sorry, Marinette."

The young princess crossed her arms in annoyance. She was so close to getting some form of information from her companion. To have the opportunity slip from her very eyes spurred a bubbling irritation in the pit of her stomach. Now, she was back to square one.

"At least tell me this," She sighed, "why are you all treating me so kindly? It was just weeks ago when I was locked up in a closet with my hands and feet bound."

"We... When we say we don't mean harm to you, we really don't mean harm to you," Tikki sighed, "You have done nothing wrong, and we know that. You're simply someone that was caught in the crossfire over something you can't control."

Marinette was quiet.

"To make it up to you, how about I buy you something from Normandy? Is there anything you would like?" Tikki offered.

"Can I send a letter to my family? To let them know that I'm okay?" Marinette asked hopefully.

"Oh, Marinette..." Tikki trailed in a pitying tone, "Maybe you can ask the captain during your report."

"Maybe..." The princess responded as she realized that her hands had stopped working on her knitting.

"Attention, crewmen!" A voice announced from the lower deck. Marinette looked down at the rails and saw Plagg standing in the middle of the floor with his hands cupped arounf his mouth. "We will be docking at sundown. You all should know the procedure by now, but in case some of you might have forgotten, I will now repeat the protocol."

Tikki folded her hands on her lap and listened closely to her husband's announcement while Marinette was curiously watching it unfold.

"We stay only on the ports. We aren't in dire need of supplies at the moment, so the captain has decided we do not collect tonight. You are allowed to stay off the boat until high noon tomorrow, at which time the boat will be leaving with or without you. When you see either the captain or I off of the ship, you are not to interfere with our business nor are you to acknowledge us. Are we clear?" Plagg's voice boomed. An excited wave of "Aye" echoed on the ship. "Good. We will be docking at sundown. Kim and Max are in charge of guarding the vessel from dusk till midnight, and Jalil and Gorilla are in charge from midnight till dawn."

"The rules apply to you, too, Marinette," Tikki informed.

"Hm? But, I won't be able to get out of the ship anyway," Marinette moaned.

"Even so," Tikki said, "The captain- he often brings back... _associates_ back to his quarters."

"Such do most men. The business he conducts in his bedroom doesn't concern me. Besides," Marinette rolled her eyes, "whatever harlot that decides to sleep with him must have absolutely no taste whatsoever and deserves to catch whatever disease he has."

Tikki giggled at the princess' response but returned to her serious demeanor. "I'm serious, Marinette. I don't mean women; I mean _associates_. Very dangerous ones that Chat conducts _real_ business with. It's for your own safety that you stay in your closet when I'm gone, okay? I have to accompany my husband to Camembert to buy his favorite smelly cheese," She groaned as she scrunched her nose.

"It's okay, Tikki. I promise to stay in my closet."

As they neared the dock, Marinette watched the sun disappear into the horizon. She felt her heart sink as Alya, whom she hadn't seen all day, and Tikki led her back to her closet, offering her a sympathetic smile before closing the door.

"The captain won't be needing a report tonight," Alya explained, "Sorry that I wasn't able to spend time with you lately. I wanted to spend some time with Nino before he goes back."

"It's alright, Alya," Marinette said understandingly, "Go and have fun with your lover."

"Alright, Princess. I'll see you later," The carrot top thanked through the wooden frame between them.

"I'll bring you back different types of cloth, okay?" Tikki chimed.

"Okay, thank you."

She heard feet shuffle outside on the deck as the ship stopped moving. She heard a couple of men yell at each other, eventually fading away as the stomping of feet left the vessel. Sighing, Marinette turned her oil lamp on and began to read one of her books. This one was called _Peter Pan._ Marinette liked it. She's read it twice now. She had a special affection for the Lost Boys whenever Captain Hook came to take them on his ship. It made her happy that such a cruel pirate could be subdued by children. She liked to imagine that it was Chat who was being overcome.

It didn't take long for Marinette to become indulgent by the book. She was already halfway through the book when she heard footsteps out into the deck. She supposed it was Kim or Max going to check up on her, but when she heard no one speak, she decided to get up and peek through her holey door.

It was nighttime. Judging by the phase and position of the moon, it was about eleven o'clock. There standing on the deck was Chat Noir with a cloaked figure turned away from her. One of the associates Tikki was talking about? Marinette supposed that she should do as she was told and mind her own business, but something about the figure peaked her curiosity. She held her ear up to the door.

"...This is a really bad idea, Adrien." ...A woman?

"Don't tell me what's a bad or a good idea, Chloe." Chloe? The princess? Marinette's eyes grew wide. Was the Kingdom of Normandy conspiring against the Kingdom of Paris? She pressed her cheek against the door further.

"I don't see you for an entire year, and you come back with the princess of Paris as your prisoner? This pirate thing is getting to your head!"

"Shh!" Silence. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go to my room."

Footsteps faded after Chat uttered his last words. Marinette groaned in frustration, irately punching the wall as silently as she could. Then, the unthinkable happened. The door actually creaked open. She could hear her heart pounding against her eardrums. She creaked the door open slowly as she held her breath.

...

Nothing. Neither Kim nor Max seemed to be around. Marinette took her first rebellious step outside her closet. The air was cool. She could hear her pulse pounding against her eardrums. One foot after the next. She was outside, and none of her guards were there to stop her.

She was free.

But, still remained a nagging feeling at the back of her head. The princess of Normandy was in the quarters of her kidnapper. An allied princess knew where Marinette was and didn't look like she had plans to tell anyone. If that didn't scream conspiracy (or some sort of forbidden love affair), she didn't know what did. She had a decision to make; get off the ship and escape to the palace in hopes that they wouldn't inflict further harm upon her, or to stay on the ship and do her best to take Chat Noir down herself (because there was no way in all the seven seas that either Tikki or Alya were going to help her; their loyalty was always made obvious to her). The choice was clear.

Cursing herself, she quietly tiptoed down to the Captain's Quarters with her bare feet. She wished she hadn't seen Chloe onboard. She wished she could easily just slip out of the vessel and run away to her parents. She wished she wasn't in this situation. With the moon as her company, she was able to reach the staircase that steadily led to the row of recreational rooms where at the end Chat Noir's bedroom was located.

She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins as she pressed her ear against the wall between her and the dreaded room. She knew what sort of consequences she would face if she were to get caught. And it wouldn't just be her. Surely, Alya and Tikki would be punished for not locking the door; Max and Kim, too, for not watching her close enough. But, she was determined. She was just going to have to be more careful.

"...and then what? You're just gonna leave her on an island somewhere after you're through?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know." Shuffling. "I came here to drop Nino off; not to hear you nag at me."

"Adrien, you're being ridiculous. You obviously don't know what you're doing."

Adrien? Was that Chat Noir's real name? It sounded familiar, but she supposed it was fairly common among the masses. It felt weird knowing he had a real name. It humanized him in a way that Marinette didn't like.

"Just trust me, Chlo. It'll work out. I promise."

"It better. I don't want to have to bury you so young after the king of Paris guillotines you for kidnapping his daughter."

Marinette wished they would say something, _anything,_ to give her some sort of idea as to what Chat was planning. She felt her knees buckle slightly, but she steadied herself by grabbing a wall decal hanging precariously next to the door.

"Come on. You should know me better by now."

"Mon dieu. Why do I have to be related to someone as foolish as you?"

The blue-haired princess' eyes widened at the sudden revelation. Princess Chloe of the Kingdom of Normandy was related to Chat Noir. The same Chat Noir that was terrorizing the Kingdom of Paris, of which they were supposed to be allies. The blonde princess basically just confirmed treason against the Parisians.

In her sudden alarm, Marinette failed to support herself with the wall decal, making the ornament shake as a result and emitting a soft, but audible, sound.

"What was that?"

Marinette quickly ran inside the nearest open door which led to the ship's library, closing her eyes tightly as she prayed that the captain wouldn't go near her. The Captain's Quarters opened, and she heard two sets of footsteps exit the room. She nearly squeaked as she saw a creepy painting of a black cat glare at her in the darkness, but she stopped herself by pressing her palms over her mouth.

"It must have been Kim or Max doing rounds upstairs," She heard Chat reason. She forcefully clenched her hands against her mouth to prevent any noise from escaping. She could feel her muscles slamming against each other in her torso.

"Or those dingy rats you have around here," Chloe grimaced.

"Such a princess," The pirate tsked, "I don't have rats anywhere. Check yourself. Even the bathrooms are cleaner than anywhere in your palace."

"Can you blame me? You bring on all sorts of beggars on board." Marinette could practically feel Chloe's eyes roll.

She heard them retreat back into the room and finally exhaled after minutes of not breathing. She placed a hand on her heart as she forced herself to calm down. She was okay. She didn't get caught. And she received more than enough information for now.

The princess slowly made her way up the stairs as sneakily as she could. She opened to door to the upper level from the stairwell. She could already see her little closet from across the deck. She looked left and right to check for her guards and slowly made her way back to her cupboard. She could feel tingles electrocuting her body with each step she took. She grabbed the doorknob and then

"Princess? What are you doing outside of your cupboard?"

Marinette squeaked in terror but quickly silenced herself. She turned to see Jalil staring at her in surprise.

"Shh!" She shushed, pulling him inside the closet with her.

"What's going on? Does the captain know you're out here?" The confused crewman asked.

"No, I-I- Just- Uh-" Marinette stammered as she felt her face turn red. Her companion couldn't help but feel bemused.

"What happened?"

"The door was left unlocked, and I wasn't going to run away. I just wanted to stay outside for a while. I promise," She lied through her teeth. Jalil knew none better.

"Oh," He said, "are you sure? This is going to be a hell of a report-"

"No!" She interrupted, surprising him, "I mean, you wouldn't want Tikki, Alya, Max, and Kim to get in trouble, do you? After all, they were in charge of me."

"I don't know..." He looked at her suspiciously, "This kind of thing should really be reported to the captain."

"Look," She sighed, "I don't know what else to say. I just really don't want anyone to be punished for something I did myself. I didn't do anything bad, okay? I just walked around the deck for a little," not _technically_ a lie, "I swear on my honor that I didn't do anything to sabotage whatever you're planning to do with me. Kill me come the day. Just please don't say anything to Chat Noir."

The crewman watched as she groveled earnestly in all her sincerity for the longest time. When he finally made a noise, Marinette felt relieved. He agreed not to say anything to the captain.

"Alright, Your Highness. Let's just pretend I was never here," He said.

"Thank you," She thanked sincerely, "Now, what did you want in my closet again?"

"Just some crackers," He winked as he played along, grabbing a box from the topshelf, "Good night, Princess."

"Good night," She bid as he exited the room, securely locking it for sure this time.

Marinette exhaled loudly. She got away with it. But now what? What can she do with this information? The kingdom she thought was close allies to her own was conspiring against her own family. She couldn't very well tell her parents as easily as writing a letter. She couldn't just barge into Chat's room to attack her spiteful neighbor. She couldn't just drop it, either. So, what? What does one do in her position?

In all her frustration, Marinette decided to go to sleep.

* * *

 _This chapter is dedicated to the sisters B.F. I was never close to them, but I always knew they were going to do greater things if only they were given more time. You two are so loved and missed. We hope you run as many miles as you want up there. RIP January 15, 2018._


	5. Chapter Five

**Across Oceans - Chapter Five**

Marinette woke up at dawn to the sound of whispers outside her door. She groggily sat up on her hammock, yawning widely as she streched out the sleep from her muscles. Rubbing her eyes, she placed her two feet on the cold floor of her closet. She mindlessly moved towards the door and, as per habit, she pressed her ear against the wooden panel and eavesdropped, without even realizing what was really happening in her half-asleep state.

"...I know, babe. Don't worry. I'll see you guys again in a couple of months." It was Nino's voice. She supposed he was saying goodbye to Alya.

"I just don't want it to be like last time." Alya was trying her best to sound confident, but Marinette could hear the heartbreak in her voice. "You were only supposed to be gone for 'a couple of months' then, too."

"Oh, come on, Alya. That wasn't even my fault! If it wasn't for that stupid princess, Lila, I would've been able to catch the ship in time." Princess Lila of Nice? Marinette started stirring herself into full consciousness.

"Shh. You know better than to talk about that princess." Why not? What was wrong with Princess Lila? Marinette had never met her, but when she saw the Princess of Nice during balls, she always got the vibe that Lila was decent.

"Pft. It's not like the captain's awake."

"Still. It's against the rules. The last thing we want is to piss off a vengeful pirate." Why was Chat Noir sensitive over a neutral country's princess? Nice had always stayed neutral for the past seventeen years. They took no part in war or trading aside from Paris. Was it because the pirate despised the kingdoms affiliated with Paris? If so, why was she still even alive in the first place?

"Chill out, dude. I think you're just stressing. Come on. We have to separate in a couple of hours. I don't wanna spend it fighting."

"You're right. I'm sorry. Let's go to the breakfast café by the port." Footsteps. They were gone again.

Marinette was frustrated. It seemed as though the more information she gained, the less she knew. Why was it against the rules to talk about Nice? Or its princess? And Chat Noir was related to Princess Chloe? What was up with Chat and princesses? It was hurting Marinette's head. Whatever the reason, she was going to need to come up with a plan quick to successfully take the pirate down and get home safely.

Blinking her sleepiness away, she walked up to a wall and picked out a box of crackers to eat for breakfast. Normally, Tikki would have woken her by that time and allowed her to go to Gorilla for some breakfast, but she knew her confidant wouldn't be back until later because she went to Camembert with her husband, so the blue-haired teen decided to satisfy her hunger with the box of treats.

Marinette was going to have to put her royal education to use. She didn't spend years with snobby tutors for nothing. All she had to do was connect the dots - dots that didn't seem to make a picture no matter how many patterns she tried to make. She needed more information. Why was Chat vengeful against Nice and Paris? What exactly was her purpose being kidnapped (other than causing emotional turmoil in her kingdom)? How did someone as young as Chat collect such a large reportoire of men and noteriety that's lasted decades without looking a day over twenty? She was going to find out.

The only question was how.

Maybe, she should start writing all of this down. Looking around the room, she tried to find a piece of paper she could write on, but all there was were boxes and boxes of random supplies like dried squid and pillow stuffing. She crossed her arms and thought. What was something she could write on without being realized by the pirates? Then she remembered her books. The fairytales Tikki gave her. She walked up to her shelf of books and tried to pick one. There were so many.

 _Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Romeo and Juliet,_ and so much more _;_ there were too many. Should she be symbollic and pick _Peter Pan_ or _Beauty and the Beast_? Or should she be misleading and pick _Alice in Wonderland_ or the Shakespearean classic? It was a holting decision until she realized that it really didn't matter because she didn't have a pen in the first place.

Oh, what a struggle. The young princess slumped down against the wall of her closet after selecting a random book (it was _The Little Mermaid_ ) and pondered as she looked around the room in hopes of figuring something out. She had a barrel of beer next to her. Maybe she could use it to write, but it wouldn't be legible at all. She had a crate full of safety pins in the corner. Maybe she could use it to stab holes in the shape of letters onto the pages. She shook her head. It was awfully frustrating.

Her eyes darted back to the boxes above her hammock. One was a box of pillow stuffing. Pillow stuffing... feathers! She could use a feather as a quill. She got up to her feet and took the box happily. Now, she needed ink of sorts. She looked at the bottles on another shelf. They were mostly alcohol of different kinds. There was vodka, and gin, and whisky, and... wine! She could write with the wine.

She excitedly folded her calves under her knees and used a crate of lard as a makeshift writing desk. She opened to the front of the book, prepared to write something, before she realized that she should be more cautious. She opened to the very middle of the book and was happy to see that it was a fairly empty page with a line of words and a small illustration under it.

First, Chat Noir. She scribbled his name. He was related to Princess Chloe. She drew a line under his name and wrote the princess' underneath. Princess Chloe was from Normandy, which was an ally to Paris. Paris seemed to enrage the pirate as seen by his temperament towards her and his terrorizing for the past couple of years. Chat Noir also despised Princess Lila of Nice which was a trading partner of Paris. So far, that was all she knew.

All the clues seemed to point towards Paris, and it left Marinette unnerved. As far as she knew, Paris and her family as monarchs haven't done anything that would receive such ill intent from Chat Noir. She must be missing something.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on her door. In sheer panic, she quickly shoved her writing materials behind the barrel by her hammock and shut her book.

"Yes?"

No reply. The door creaked open and revealed a very large figure Marinette recognized as Gorilla. He had a plate in his hands with a sheepish expression on his face. She smiled happily.

"Gorilla! Did you come to take me to breakfast?" She asked excitedly.

He nodded, looking down on the floor.

"Sounds great. The closet's kind of cramped, so let's go to the upper deck," She said, exiting the room with the big man in tow.

The two settled in her knitting spot and began to eat quietly in each other's presence. Gorilla had made pumpkin stew, which was delicious but still lacked her severely missed dairy products.

"Gorilla, can I ask you some questions?" She asked, shoving a spoonful of the stew.

The man nodded slowly.

"And it'll just be yes or no, so just nod or shake your head," She reasoned, "Were you with Chat even before he was a pirate?"

Gorilla didn't seem to respond to her question for a while, blankly staring off into space, before nodding warily.

"Was he always so cranky all the time?" She mocked, scrunching her nose.

He smiled softly at the question and shook his head.

"Do you know if he's planning to use me to take down Paris?"

He nodded his head hesitantly, debating with himself how much information to give her as he realized her purpose for questioning.

"Is he?" She felt her heart pound faster.

He shook his head. Well that was a disappointment. What purpose did she serve as a prisoner?

"Is he really forty years old? 'Cause that's around when Chat Noir started terrorizing the ports of my kingdom."

He looked troubled, and Marinette realized that she put him in a difficult position. She felt bad and wanted to take it back, but she really needed to know. He didn't seem to want to answer though.

"Sorry, I-" He shook his head.

"Okay... I think that's enough for now," She sighed, "Let's talk about you!"

Marinette asked Gorilla some questions about him for the rest of their meal. She found out that he was a blacksmith's son before he joined Chat Noir. He had a wife and daughter but they died during the Red Water epidemic years before she was even born. He, like most of the members on the ship, insisted that Chat Noir was a good man despite what she may think, but, like most members, gave no evidence to support his claim. Regardless, she enjoyed his company and appreciated the effort he gave towards her even though she was supposed to be their prisoner.

Eventually, the sun soon rose high in the sky and a crowd of crewmen boarded the ship noisily. It was Gorilla's signal to go back to the kitchen to prepare food for the next meal. They separated amicably, Marinette deciding to continue knitting.

"Hello, Princess," A crewman greeted from the lower deck.

"Hello," She replied politely, looking over the crowd going onboard to watch out for her friends.

Alya started to walk up the ramp by herself with a sullen look on her face. Marinette got up from her seat towards the saddened pirate. She made her way through the crowd and gave the redhead a pat on the back.

"Hey," The princess greeted softly.

"Hi," Alya answered with a sad smile.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. This happens a lot, so it's not too bad," Alya answered, rubbing her elbow.

"Let's go to the kitchen. I think Gorilla's making some sort of cheese stew."

"That sounds really gross," Alya replied, wincing in mild disgust.

"I know, but he's trying," The princess giggled.

The two walked into the kitchen, mindlessly chattering about their days. Alya talked about what Normandy was like that summer, and Marinette talked about her new book and her talk with Gorilla that morning, purposely omitting the part where she was able to sneak out and spy on Chat Noir's conversation with the princess of Normandy. Once they entered the kitchen, they continued on with their conversation as Gorilla simply ignored the high-pitched squeals they occasionally let out.

The large chef was in the middle of giving the girls a dish full of his concoction of cheese and steak in the form of stew when the kitchen door suddenly swung open, revealing a very concerned Chat Noir.

"Is Plagg here yet?" The blond pirate asked.

"No, Sir," Alya answered. Marinette decided to keep silent and observe his behavior, trying to figure out any clues his body language might give her.

"I might actually kill him when he gets back," He groaned, placing a hand on his forehead.

Gorilla looked to him with a concerned expression as if to ask "what's going on?"

"It's almost noon, and he's not back from his god forsaken trip to Camembert for his cheese. It's ridiculous! I might actually have to leave him this time. Make an example out of him," Chat groaned in a joking manner.

"I'm sure he and Tikki will be back soon," Alya responded. Gorilla took out another dish and offered it to the captain, to which the blond responded by gawking at the strange discoloration the meal was giving off.

"What is this?" He asked, squinting his eyes in wonder.

"It's cheese and steak," Marinette answered flatly, "why? Is it too common for your refined taste?"

The pirate cocked an eyebrow at the princess' sudden sass and walked closer to her. "Well, if the princess of Paris finds such a dish enticing, then it must say a lot about what sort of _claw_ -ful food she was fed there."

"Just because I'm a princess, it doesn't mean I don't have common decency to appreciate what's given to me."

"Oh? I never realized the princess of Paris had such a _cat_ -astrophically sharp tongue."

Marinette rolled her eyes, inching closer to him in emphasis. "There's a lot of things you don't realize."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Like how insanely large your head is from your ego," She answered sharply.

"Jealous?" He replied with a smirk, clearly enjoying the banter, "You're just jealous because your head is filled with nothing as is why it's so small."

"By that logic, it must apply to you, too, since there has not been one woman that's left your quarters," She retorted, crossing her arms.

"Oh, please, they-"

Gorilla took out a large butcher's knife and slammed it on the counter between them, eliciting a giggle from the redhead who was amusedly entertained by their argument. The chef glared at both of them until both were backed up into silence.

"I'm going out to watch for Tikki," Marinette said in an attempt to dignify herself, picking up her skirt, "Excuse me."

She intentionally brushed her shoulder rudely against Chat's and exited the kitchen, immediately rebounding and pressing her ear against the kitchen doors to eavesdrop.

"Wow, Captain, I don't think I've seen you that fired up in a long time," She heard Alya laugh.

"She's an interesting one," The pirate's rough voice agreed.

"So, what's the plan?" Alya asked.

"The plan, at the moment, is to go to Athens and recollect until I figure out what to do," Chat answered.

Athens? Where was that? In all her years, Marinette had never heard of such a place. Plus, Chat Noir just admitted that he didn't know what to do from there on. It was strangely comforting and unnerving at the same time. She listened on.

"For how long will we be there?"

"We'll need to stop by Avignon to collect supplies and then we should be good for about four days or so. By then, I should have a decision whether or not to pursue phase two of the plan."

Marinette didn't want to go to this "Athens" place, nor did she want to be any longer part of Chat Noir's plan. She needed to figure out what was going on, escape, and take him down once and for all before they go to Athens. This meant that she needed to figure everything out in two days before they reached Avignon. Could she do it?

"I hope we do. Otherwise, we just caused a lot of heartbreak for no reason," Alya responded.

"...It'll work out either way. I just need some time to think."

"Please do so."

"Anyway, I should probably head up with the princess to wait for Plagg and Tikki," Chat decided.

The said princess' eyes grew in alarm. Quickly removing herself from the wall, she tried to race to the staircase, but Chat had already exited the kitchen, causing her to nonchalantly wander almost too extravagantly.

"Princess? What are you still doing here?" He asked.

"I, uh, I got lost?" She answered unsurely, her face turning bright red. The pirate seemed to interpret it as her being embarrassed for forgetting the stairwell which made him laugh.

"You've been here for nearly a month and yet you still can't find your way around?" He mocked.

"Not my fault. You locked me up for nearly a week, remember?" She shot. For a brief moment, Chat was stunned. Possibly surprised. Possibly guilty. He remained quiet and started to walk away from her all of the sudden.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Marinette joked in an attempt to bring back his normally fiery demeanor. The question prompted him to breathe out a puff of air before chuckling.

"Not right now. But trust me; there were very many cats willing to get my tongue," He flaunted.

"Crude," She called, scrunching her nose.

"I prefer 'desireable'," He responded.

"Only if you attach an 'un' to it."

" _Meow_ -ch," He moaned, playfully placing a hand on his heart, "You only say this because you haven't seen me without my mask. Once you see me, you wouldn't be able to resist."

"Never," She said.

"Ah, well, whatever," He laughed, "You're going to end up with some snobby noble like the rest of your kind. I pity you."

Marinette didn't know what to say so she averted ger gaze straight ahead without paying mind to him in her peripheral. He had become kinder to her these days for whatever reason. She knew that he could be doing worse. He could have starved her, or beaten her, or abused her. Instead, he treated her almost like a reluctant guest, but made it painfully obvious that he hated her presence purely on the fact that she was a royal. His behavior confused her; was he a good guy or not? Obviously, he was still a terrible person, being that he survived by pilaging innocent people, but something about him made her think that maybe, deep down, he wasn't as bad as she thought he was.

She still kept her guard up around him, but something about the way he spoke magnetized her words out of her mouth every time they interacted. As if there was a cosmic force making her interact with him even when she didn't want down, she wished that whatever kindness everyone kept telling her he had existed.

Eventually, they were able to reach the upper deck. They stood side by side with a healthy distance between them. Chat decided to sit on the rails impatiently as he watched out for Tikki and Plagg, while Marinette simply leaned against the wooden frame as she crossed her arms. They didn't speak until they finally saw a familiar red and black couple run towards the ship, carrying bags and bags of some sort of delicacy.

"We were just about to leave you two," Chat hollered from the oversight.

"You wouldn't have survived a day without us," Plagg huffed, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his bag-occupied hand.

"We're sorry, Captain. Our horse suddenly collapsed on the way back," Tikki panted.

Chat let out a playful tsk. "Excuses, excuses."

Marinette resisted the urge to push the captain off the upper deck and possibly cause several broken bones. In its place, she simply went down the deck and helped her companion organize the plentiful carryons they were carrying.

"Did you get off this ship with this many bags?" Marinette asked, grabbing a couple of the bags in Tikki's possession.

"Nope. They're all filled with Plagg's cheese," Tikki answered, shooting a glare at her husband.

"It's not my fault. We spend months away from Normandy! I need my Camembert," Plagg reasoned.

"You're lucky I love you," Tikki retorted, rolling her eyes, "Who else would help you carry this many bags of cheese?"

"Not me," Chat answered, hopping off the deck to stand in front of them. Marinette was mad. She had found momentary solace at her fantasy of pushing him off the upper deck, and he had to ruin it with his stupid reflexes.

"Get ready to sail!" Chat ordered to some crewmen settling by the ship's leech.

"We'll put the cheese away," Plagg said.

"Christ, our room is gonna smell like mold for months," Tikki conplained, reluctantly bringing the bags of cheese. Sighing, she turned to the princess who was now slowly making her way to the couple's room. "Oh, Marinette, I brought something for you!"

Tikki dropped the bags in her hand and slowly picked out a different looking bag. It was pink. In contrast to the yellow of the cheese shop, it stood out. "I got some silks and cottons for you from a well-know tailor-"

"Mr. Damocles, yes, I know. I frequented his shop," Marinette answered happily in reminiscence, excitedly taking out the fabric from the bag. It was gorgeous. They were in different shades of red and blacks and whites. They were good quality, too. As expected from Mr. Damocles. "Thank you, Tikki. This means a lot to me."

"Not a problem, Your Highness," Tikki responded, smiling softly as she watched the princess glimmer in excitement.

"Well, come on now. No time to waste. We still have much to do," Plagg interrupted.

"Oh, yes. Sorry," Marinette responded, returning the fabric in the bag and picking up the cheese she had put down.

"This is kind of funny," Chat said, crossing his arms in delight as he watched his three companions struggle with the cheese, "Who would have thought that a princess like you would be reduced to carrying bags of cheese?"

"I don't know. Who would've thought that a pirate like you would be reduced to being so useless he can't even pick up a bag of cheese?" Marinette retorted.

Plagg burst into laughter. "She got you there, Captain."

The said pirate rolled his eyes in irritation, but the smirk on his face seemed to contradict whatever animosity he was trying to convey. He watched as the princess stomped away from him, huffing in her anger towards him. She was certainly unlike any princess he had ever known.


	6. Chapter Six

**Across Oceans - Chapter Six**

Marinette squinted as she tried to see in the darkness of the library. Chat had decided to conduct her daily report in the library that evening, which was considerably much harder to see in because of its lack of lamps. The room was solely lit up by the moonlight seeping through the window behind Chat Noir's standing figure.

"Were you good today?" He asked, approaching her like a predator does to its prey.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "I-"

"You were bad," He interrupted, pulling her close to him by her waist and making her choke in surprise. His eyes were aggressive and looked as though they were peeling off every layer of her body as he examined her. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"What the hell are you doing?" She questioned, trying her best to push him away from her. He was too strong.

"You were very naughty, Princess," He tutted, tightening his grip on her, "I thought I told Tikki to tell you not to spy on me."

Her eyes grew wide in alarm. "How did-?"

"-I find out?" He scoffed, pushing his finger under her chin to force her eyes to stare directly into his, "Simple. I know everything about everyone on this ship. They know where their loyalties lie."

"Jalil," She said, feeling completely betrayed.

"Sorry, Princess," a voice apologized behind her.

She turned around to confront the voice but suddenly, it was very bright. Now, she was outside. She was in the castle gardens back home. She looked down. Her hands were much smaller, and her blue dress was one she hadn't worn in several years. She was wearing lace socks and expensive leather shoes. Her hair was below her hips, a length she hadn't had since she chopped it all off when she turned twelve. A straw hat was perched on her head. She was little again.

"Mari, where are you?" She heard a maternal voice call.

"Mama? Mama! I'm right here," She answered, desperately trying to find the voice. Her mom would know what was going on.

"Mari? Marinette, where are you?" Her mother called loudly.

"I'm right here!" She yelled, running through the hydrangeas to find the voice. She was getting cuts and leaves all over her body, but she didn't care. She needed to find her mother.

"Marinette?"

"Marinette?"

" _Marinette_!"

* * *

The young princess shot up her hammock in cold sweat, nearly flipping herself to the floor. She could feel her heart race faster than a horse. She glanced at the crack between her door and the floor and saw that early signs of daybreak had seeped through. She let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't quite remember her dream, but she knew it was horrible.

She squinted as the door creaked open to reveal Tikki who had come to take her to Gorilla for a late breakfast. Getting up, she gave the older woman a shaky smile.

"Good afternoon," Tikki greeted, "slept in today, huh?"

"Yeah, uh," Marinette responded restlessly, "I was really tired."

"Everything okay?" Tikki asked concernedly.

"Yeah. I just had a weird dream."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe you'll feel better after you eat."

Marinette hummed absent-mindedly as she followed Tikki to the kitchen. All the while, Marinette was increasingly silent, worrying her companion; however, she said nothing of it in fear of triggering an emotional outburst that would force her to subdue the princess.

"What are you planning to do with the silks from Mr. Damocles, Marinette?" Tikki asked warily in an attempt to divert the princess' attention.

"Hm?" The girl responded, snapping out of her trance, "oh, uh, I don't know yet."

"Maybe a dress? Or a quilt?" The older woman suggested.

"Yeah, maybe. I don't know," Marinette answered, opening the kitchen doors.

Gorilla turned to the sound of the door and grunted as a greeting. He handed Marinette a dish of yellow stew and some bread. Tikki had to reluctantly leave the young princess in the hands of the burly chef so she could storage Plagg's moldy cheese somewhere other than their room. Marinette didn't seem to have enough presence of mind to truly care.

Gorilla noticed that the blue-eyed princess was uncharacteristically silent that morning. Whenever he turned to check on how she was doing, she was gazing off into space. He would then discreetly start to chop a little louder or stomp a little harder, causing her to snap back into reality and finish the food. It took her a while to completely finish the plate. The chef concluded that she must be homesick or something similar along those lines and decided to try his hand at pastries for dinner that night.

After quickly thanking Gorilla for the meal, she decided to go to the library. She didn't know why she decided to go to the library. She wasn't necessarily the most avid bookworm, neither was she particularly in the right state of mind. So, she followed where her feet led, not really thinking of anything particular she wanted to do once she did reach the room.

She reached the library, standing dumbly in front of the rows and rows of books. She felt stupid. Why did she come here? Just as she was about to turn around, she noticed that the normally creepy painting of a screaming cat by the third shelf, which was normally perfectly straight and parallel to the shelves, was hanging crooked about thirty degrees. That was irritating. It must have moved during the turmoil the night before. She approached the ominous portrait and straightened it. Scratch.

What was that? She tilted her head curiously. Empirically, she moved the cat painting again. Scratch. She looked at the tilted corner of the frame. There was something sheen beneath the frame.

Looking back at the open door of the library, she quickly realized that she shouldn't be snooping so out in the open. She closed the door with a tight click and returned back to the large picture. She carefully peeled it off the wall, and behind it revealed a set of eyes from the most beautiful boy she had ever seen in her entire life.

She raised her hand up to touch his face. In the painting, he was accompanied by a regal looking couple, presumably his parents. He looked about eleven or twelve. He had golden hair in the shade of healthy barley glistening in the sun during harvest season. His big, green eyes were bright emeralds and were practically glowing. He was young, but he was one of those children that many noblewomen would begin to court at a young age for their equally young daughters.

The mother sitting on a chair next to him had the same set of eyes and golden locks. She had a sharp, heart-shaped face with thin lips. Her hands were folded on her lap, and an expensive diamond necklace decorated her white gown. Beautiful. Next to her was the father. He stood tall, a blank expression on his face, but somehow his pride and authority was purely evident to anyone who looked at the picture. His broad shoulders were puffed out, and many medals embellished his shirt. He was obviously someone very important.

Marinette had her fair share of overly beautified portraits from many artists. She had an entire hall filled with portraits of her being made to look much too pale or much too rouge, depending on which artist had painted her. The creator for this one, if he had done any exaggerating, must have been very talented to have made such magnificence. She thought she might hire him once she was returned to her kingdom if she can find out who he was.

Why was a picture like this in a pirate ship? Was it stolen by them during one of their pilagings? If so, why was it hidden behind such a hideous picture of a screaming cat?

Many questions swirled in Marinette's eyes, but she couldn't stop herself from being mesmerized by the young boy. He looked much too familiar. It was as if she had seen him somewhere else. But where? Surely, she would remember meeting such a handsome young man. He looked rich, so maybe she had met him at a ball of some sorts. Maybe he was the son of a duke, and Chat Noir had attacked his estate. The thought that this perfect family was harmed or murdered in cold blood by the pirate sickened Marinette.

A loud bang echoed through the room from up above her, making her tear her gaze away from the portrait. She looked up, seeing dust flying off the wooden panels above her as signs of movement rebounded on it. She heard men start to yell angrily at each other. What was going on?

She brisked to the window of the library and immediately saw black smokescreen covering the glass. Panicked, she squinted her eyes to see through the thick smoke to see what was going on. The smoke eventually dispersed, and she could see that it wasn't a fire or anything from on board; rather it was from a large ship across from the Black Skeleton. They were under attack. And from the looks of its logo on the sail, the ship was owned by another pirate.

Eyes wide in alarm, Marinette abandoned the portrait of the boy and ran as fast as she could to the stairwell door. She could hear loud grunting and metal clashing against each other. Cannon noises echoed, and she could clearly hear Plagg's commanding voice booming as he shouted orders to his men.

She creaked the door and saw red. Her heart sunk. The sun was bright, but she could see silhouettes of large men beating each other with swords and knives. She could see many of the men fall on their knees as they were stabbed and hurt. There were too many men on the deck that it was impossible to differentiate between who was from the Black Skeleton and who was from the other ship. The putrid mixture of coppery blood and sweat drifted through the air, and had Marinette not been accustomed to the unhygienic scents of a multitude of pirates, she would have vomited.

She couldn't bare the thought of having the ship be overtaken by another vessel. After all, what would they do if they found out that the princess of Paris was onboard? She was lucky enough that she wasn't harmed directly by her current captors. If she were to be under siege of another, _crueler_ , set of men, she wouldn't last a day. And the crewmen. They had been kind to her. He couldn't forgive herself if she just let them die when she could be helping them.

Her eyes started to dart around the deck, trying to find some sort of weapon she could use to fight alongside the crewmen. Suddenly, a burly man who looked unfamiliar fell face-first right in front of the door. His sword was still in his hand. She opened the door wider to exit the stairwell, but two large hands jerked her back.

"Marinette, what are you doing?" She turned to see that Gorilla had grabbed her with Tikki looking frazzled next to him. "We need to go to the safe area in the bottom floor!"

"But," Marinette protested, her head turning back to the battle scene. She could see Chat Noir easily defeating many opponents as if they were slices of bread. He was even getting cocky as he shouted out sarcastic comments. That ego of his would surely get in the way. "We might lose!"

"That doesn't matter!" Tikki shook her head, "If you get hurt, we're all done for!"

"If we lose, we're all done for anyway!" Marinette argued, her eyes not tearing away from the fight.

"Don't be stupid-" Without warning, a group of men circled Chat Noir and attacked all at once. Some of the other crewmen saw and fought back, but they were already hurt and exhausted from their own fights. Chat was going to die if no one helped him quickly. Plagg was too preoccupied with his own brawl to help the captain.

"I'm sorry."

Through some cosmic adrenaline force, Marinette was able to escape Gorilla's iron-clad grasp, hearing Tikki's protests and Gorilla's unexpected gasping. She swooped the fallen man's sword and charged towards the cacophony of men surrounding the Black Skeleton's captain. With all her strength, she swung the sword through the men towards the center where Chat was fighting.

"What are- Princess?!" He exclaimed as he saw her, "What are you doing here?"

"No time. Fight," She grunted, swinging the sword at a foe that began charging towards her. She threw her skirt in front of his foot as he stepped on it. She pulled on the hem and the man was immediately on the floor. She stabbed his side, not enough to kill him, but enough to immobilize him.

"Who," Chat dodged a knife to his neck, "told you that," he grabbed a man's head and slammed his forehead against it, "you could come out here?"

"I did!" She yelled, gasping as an enemy was able to cut her upper arm, "I couldn't let you lose."

"Why?" He asked, slicing her attacker on his inner thigh, making him fall to the ground, "I can beat all of these men just as easily without your help!"

"Oh, please," She scoffed, jumping over the fallen body and using it to propel herself upward. She slammed her raised leg on a man's clavicle. "You need my help."

"I admit; you're good, but you need to be," He huffed, pushing a man off him to the ground and stomping on his open hand, "in the safe area with Tikki!"

"I've told you before, and I'll tell you again," She growled, punching a man square on the nose who had tried to sneak up behind her, "I'm not a damsel in distress." He tried to recover, but she pushed him back down to the floor and kicked his ribs with her heel.

"Well, forgive me for wanting to be chivalrous," The pirate rolled his eyes, narrowly avoiding a fatal attempt at his jugular. He took the dull end of his swords and forcefully pressed it on the man's throat, eliciting him to choke and scream in agony.

"Nothing's chivalrous," She retorted, slamming her elbow against a man's groin as he tried to attack her from above, "about underestimating a worthy asset."

"Except," Chat huffed, "when that asset is currently the most valuable thing on this ship at the moment!" A shorter pirate charged at Chat's legs, making him stumble to the ground. He started to wrestle the small pirate. Marinette cursed.

"I don't quite recall ever being treated as such, Captain," She retorted, jabbing her sword against her new opponent's back leg as he tried to use his arms to trap her against the railing. Instead, he was thrown overboard, a loud splash emitting from his fall.

"Forgive me if a pirate ship isn't quite at the same level as a royal palace," Chat grunted sarcastically as he used his strength to overpower his opponent. He took his fingers and applied it to a pressure point, making his combatant faint. Chat stood up immediately and began attacking more men that had started to collect around him.

"You," She blurted, rolling up her sleeves and brushing her hair away from her face, "You know that's not what I mean."

"Please," He spat, "Enlighten me."

"First of all, I could just let you die here," She argued, grabbing an empty crate that was sitting in the corner. She ran towards Chat and the men and chucked the box at them, successfully breaking the box on many of the men's heads and slightly on Chat's. "But, I'm a good person so I won't. But, I probably deserve to be able to go to the bathroom at three AM when I want to."

"Ow! Be careful with where you throw," He complained, nursing his head.

"Sorry. It's hard to differentiate criminal from criminal," She retorted sarcastically, charging towards the rest of the men that weren't affected by the crate.

Most of their attackers were finally defeated after a long battle, and they were now fighting a smaller amount of men. Marinette was able to subdue her last enemy and turned to Chat Noir. He was still fighting a lanky man with an eyepatch. She huffed exhaustedly as she rubbed the soreness away from her arms. Her eyes were getting blurry, and everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. It had been a while since she was allowed to wield a weapon.

A pain shot through her head by her left temple. She reached over and saw blood. A man must have somehow managed to cut her. The ringing in her ears confused her and made her dissociate with her current state. Her arm was also bloody and her dress was ripped to shreds. Her forehead was drenched in sweat as the sun intensified in the summer sky. Her cheek was caked in blood, and she was sure that most of it wasn't hers. She could feel her muscles weak and limp. Her adrenaline was running out.

In her peripheral, she could see Chat Noir arrogantly hovering over his now-fallen opponent, possibly offering the foe a snide remark about his fighting stance or something of the sorts. She turned to his general direction and saw a shadow creeping up on the upper deck railing, menacingly staring down at the captain. Her eyes grew.

"Chat, above you!" Marinette screamed as loudly as she could.

It all happened much too fast for her brain to completely grasp it. Chat had turned to Marinette's terrified expression and realized that a man was falling down on him with a very long, very sharp sword ready to impale him. He wasn't able to dodge in time. But, he felt no pain. Suddenly, he was on the floor like a fish out of water. Suddenly there was a weight on top of him. Suddenly, the princess was bleeding gallons at a time of blood coming out of her back like a morbid fountain.

Suddenly, everything turned black.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Across Oceans - Chapter Seven**

 _"Marinette, dear, it's time to wake up."_

 _The little princess grumbled as she shuffled under her covers, purposely hiding away from the voice. Her mother sighed and watched the little girl with a soft expression on her face. She giggled and started to tickle the child over her covers, causing the little girl to jolt out of her hiding spot in surprise._

 _"Mama, no fair!" She complained as she gasped for air between her giggles._

 _"It's not my fault," Sabine argued, pulling the princess to her chest, "You wouldn't get up."_ _The young girl pouted, making her mother smile softly and plant a butterfly kiss on her forehead._

 _"Come on. We have to get ready. It's a very important day today," The queen hummed, picking the girl up from her bed._

 _"Ooh! I know what day it is!" Marinette exclaimed excitedly, "It's the Festival Désolè!"_

 _"It's 'du Soleil', Marinette," Sabine laughed._

 _"Yes, yes. Dulesil," The little girl waved off. She climbed out of her mother's arms and raced to her large wardrobe._

 _"I wanna be a fairy this year!" She demanded excitedly, crawling up the cabinet that was several inches too tall for her to see over. Her mother simply peeled her off the wooden frame and tucked her under her arm._

 _"Calm down, Marinette," The queen sighed, wondering how her daughter's energy level could spike so quickly, "We have hours before we have to get dressed. Right now, we're meeting your father and his guests at the dining hall."_

 _"Oh," Marinette pouted, crossing her arms disappointedly, "who are Papa's guests?"_

 _"Well," Her mother thought, "there's the Marquis de Fleur and his wife; the Duke of Camembert and his daughter; and the princess of Normandy, Chloe. We have some more guests arriving tonight. Do you remember Princess Chloe?"_

 _Marinette scrunched up her nose in distaste. "I don't like Chloe. She always takes my dolls away and pushes me when we play in the garden."_

 _"Oh, my darling," Sabine hummed, "I'll talk to her father."_

 _"I don't think that's - Oh, Mama, look! There's a big carpet outside," Marinette ran towards the large French windows of her room, distracted completely from their conversation, "What kind of place has a carpet that big?"_

 _"That's a tapestry, Marinette," The queen corrected, following the hyper five-year-old to the glass, "and that's for the festival tonight at the square."_

 _"Why?" The blue-haired princess asked._

 _"It's to honor the sun and celebrate the fact that it's been good to us this year."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because you've been a very nice princess," Sabine answered, hugging her daughter._

 _"Why?" Marinette furthered amusedly._

 _"Because Mama and Papa raised you well," The queen responded, preparing for the next question._

 _"Why?"_

 _The queen didn't answer and picked up the young princess, nuzzling her cheek and tickling her belly. "Such a curious little girl, my Marinette is."_

 _"Wh-"_

 _"-agh, enough. We have to get dressed now." The queen picked out a suitable dress for Marinette and allowed the lady-in-waiting to dress her daughter. This time, she picked a yellow dress with a red ribbon around the waist. She also took out a pair of embroidered socks and a pair of red leather shoes. After dressing, Sabine brushed her daughter's long hair and tied it into an intricate braid._

 _"Alright, we're done."_

 _The mother and daughter made their way down to the dining hall hand-in-hand as their ladies-in-waiting followed dutifully. Marinette was happily humming and skipping as her feet clacked against the marble floors of the palace. She liked to jump over the crevices in between each tile as if it were a game of hopscotch she would often see the common children play at the square._

 _They reached the dining hall and, immediately, the boisterous laughter of King Thomas and his guests echoed throughout the room. Marinette dropped her mother's hand and ran to her father, giving him a warm embrace._

 _"Papa!"_

 _"Oh, my little ladybug! How are you this morning?" King Tom greeted the child._

 _"Papa, I'm excited for the festival!" Marinette enthused._

 _"Oh, yes. Everyone is excited," The big man answered, gesturing to the rest of the guests sitting on the table._

 _"Yes, Princess. I've been looking forward to the festival all year," The Marquis de Fleur's wife piped, "My son Nathanaël is also very much looking forward to it." A small boy with red hair and a small, button nose emerged from under the table at the sound of his name._

 _"What?" The young noble asked roughly. His mother turned red and shushed him quietly._

 _"Marinette, why don't you and Nate go and play with Princess Chloe outside?" Sabine suggested, offering the Marquis' wife some grace._

 _"Okay!" Marinette replied, jumping from her seat and taking the smaller girl with her out into the garden. A redheaded lady-in-waiting trailed behind them closely._

 _"Are you a princess?" Marinette asked._

 _"No, I'm a boy. Only girls get to be princesses," Nathanaël replied softly. He wasn't used to being in close contact with a girl his age._

 _"Oh, 'cause I'm a princess."_

 _"I know." His ears turned pink._

 _Marinette grumbled at Nathanaël's dismissiveness. "You don't talk much, do you?"_

 _"I don't know," He muttered, blushing at the intensity of the inquisitive princess' stare at him._

 _"That's okay," Marinette beamed, "You can be the librarian when we play townsfolk with Chloe."_

 _Nathanaël was dumbfounded, but he was happy. The princess was bubbly and nice to him. He decided that he liked her very much. He suddenly felt energized and he marched enthusiastically next to her out into the garden. There, they saw Princess Chloe terrorizing her nanny with different kinds of thorny flowers._

 _"And you say?" Chloe asked the grown woman who was on all fours._

 _"Moo, Your Highness," The nanny sighed, blinking as the blonde princess cackled happily at her humiliation, trying her best not to pinch herself with the chain of thorny flowers Chloe placed on her head._

 _"Chloe," Marinette huffed, not really wanting to deal with Chloe._

 _"Marinette," The blonde groaned, sticking her tongue out._

 _"This is Nate." Nathanaël glowed at the new nickname the princess gave him. "He's going to be the librarian in townsfolk."_

 _"Yucky! I don't wanna play townsfolk. Why would I wanna be like a yucky commoner?" Chloe whined._

 _"What are you talking about? We play townsfolk every time we see each other," Marinette rolled her eyes._

 _"Well, this time, I wanna play princess!"_

 _"We're already princesses!"_

 _The two princesses went on bickering about what game to play while Nathanaël and Chloe's nanny sat back and watched the five-year-olds yell at each other. It was a comical sight. Marinette looked like she was about to pull Chloe's hair, and Chloe looked like she wanted to eat Marinette alive. All of this happening to people under four feet tall._

 _"How about we play a new game?" Nathanaël suggested meekly._

 _"Like what?" Marinette asked._

 _"We can play festival," He shrugged, turning red as Chloe's glaring turned more intense._

 _"Yeah! Let's play Festival Delisol," Marinette said confidently. The lady-in-waiting and the nanny decided not to correct the mini royal. "I'll be the fairy of the festival."_

 _"No fair! I wanna be the fairy," Chloe argued._

 _"Well, I called it first."_

 _"No, I'll be fairy."_

 _Nathanaël, along with the two other women, sighed. This was going to take up a lot of their day._

* * *

 _Marinette twirled happily as she admired her reflection in the mirror. She was holding a pink frilly stick with a star-shaped head, a toy wand. She had on a white tutu and beautifully embroidered white wings. Her hair was in a neatly tight bun on top of her head, a crown resting symmetrically at the center. She was wearing white, lacey tights and a fancy, pearl-encrusted mask. She was dressed as a fairy._

 _"Your Highness, it's time to go to the square now," Her lady-in-waiting, Bridgette, announced._

 _Marinette turned to the older girl with a bright smile. "Do I look like a real fairy?"_

 _"Yes, Princess," The servant replied softly, happy to see her little mistress so satisfied with herself, "you look like a very pretty fairy princess."_

 _"Great! Okay, let's go."_

 _Marinette skipped through the halls, waving her wand as if real magic was spouting out of it. She would occasionally stop when a servant passed by and pretended to cast a spell on him, causing him to get dramatic and pretend that he truly was afflicted with magic from the princess' wand. Marinette would giggle and let them continue on their way._

 _They reched the balcony hovering over the square, making Marinette squeal in delight. The atmosphere was lively down below. There were stalls of different types of food like fried rice cake and specialty pastries. There were games and prizes with families crowding over them. There was a band over at the stage. There were people of all kinds in costumes, dressed as different kinds of mythical creatures. There were golden lanterns hanging all around town like stars tied to string, and the giant tapestry of the sun she saw earlier was hanging proudly in between two buildings. This was Marinette's favorite festival of the year._

 _"Well, what are you waiting for?" Marinette asked her lady-in-waiting, racing to the set of stairs on the side of the balcony._

 _Marinette excitedly entered the crowd, selectively ignoring the calls of her caretaker. She pushed through the throng of people and raced towards the cream-stuffed puff stand. That was her favorite festival snack. She knew the location by heart and didn't really need anyone following her that couldn't keep up. She was much too excited._

 _"Hello, Mister André!" She greeted the shopkeeper estatically._

 _"Oh, my, who is this beautiful little fairy?" The jolly man asked empatically, gasping dramatically._

 _"Mister, it's me, Princess Marinette!" She giggled._

 _"Really?" He gasped, "I almost didn't recognize you, Your Highness!"_

 _"Can I have a puff, Mister?" She asked excitedly._

 _"But of course," He smiled, "I have a special one just for you." He turned around to grab the special pastry and came back with a plate of a pink ball of bread filled with white chocolate cream and dusted with powdered sugar._

 _"Wow! It's a fairy princess puff," She marveled, grabbing the pastry and stuffing it in her mouth._

 _"Just for fairy princesses like you," André laughed._

 _"Princess!" The two turned to see Marinette's lady-in-waiting looking frazzled and worried. "Please don't run off like that again."_

 _"Oh, calm down," The little princess giggled, "I just wanted to eat puffs."_

 _"Princess," The older girl panted, "Your parents will have my head if I lose you."_

 _"Where are Mama and Papa?" She asked, taking a bite of the puff._

 _"They're preparing for the ritual tonight. They said that you can walk around with me before then," The servant explained._

 _"Cool. Let's go to the juice stand," The princess declared, "Bye, Mister André!"_

 _"Goodbye, Princess!"_

 _The little princess cheerfully munched on her pastry as she observed the different dynamics around her. There were families of all shapes and sizes enjoying the festival. Couples were lovingly holding each other as they played games and walked around. There was a man wearing a tree costume handing out apples, a baby dressed as a bee, a woman dressed as a mermaid, and many more different people wearing mythical costumes._

 _The reached the juice kiosk, and Marinette asked her servant to get her strawberry juice. She sat on the bench next to the stand patiently as she ate her cream puff. She was contentedly swinging her feet under the seat, when she saw a boy around her age, perhaps a year or so_ _older than her, dressed as a white cat, fencing with an older boy dressed as a pirate at one of the game stalls._

 _She watched them curiously. They were grunting and looked angry, but at the same time, they were laughing as if they were only playing a very violent game of patty cake. They were clashing their sabres with great technique and skill that was amazing considering their age. Marinette didn't realize she had been swinging her wand to mimic the boys' movements._

 _"Here you are, Princess," Her caretaker said, handing the princess a cup filled with pink strawberry juice._

 _"Thank you," She replied, not taking her eyes away from the fighting boys._

 _The match ended when the boy dressed as a cat was able to successfully jab his opponent on the shoulder. The boys laughed and returned the sabres. The gamekeeper gave the cat boy a large teddy bear. The friends walked away joyfully chatting with each other and disappeared into the crowd._

 _"Aw," She muttered disappointedly._

 _"Hm? Is there something wrong, Princess?"_

 _"Nothing," She turned to her companion with big eyes, cream and powder still all over her face, "Do you think Mama and Papa will let me start taking fencing lessons?"_

 _"Fencing?" The caretaker thought, "I don't know. It might be deemed too unladylike for a princess of your caliber."_

 _"Caliber?" Marinette asked curiously, not knowing what the word meant._

 _"Caliber means..." The lady-in-waiting trailed._

 _Marinette lost interest and jumped off the bench, leaving her distracted caretaker pondering on how to explain a word to a child. The little princess did her best to follow the two boys through the crowd, but she was much too short. However, she was so tiny that she was able to weave through people's legs easily until she found the silhouette of the two boys._

 _"Hey, you two!" She exclaimed. The cat boy and the pseudo-pirate turned to Marinette's candy-sweet, but demanding, voice. A big, burly man accompanying them turned to watch her, too. The pirate cocked his eyebrow at her._

 _"Yeah?" He asked irately as if she were a mosquito hovering them._

 _"I wanna know how to fence," The princess declared._

 _"Well, you can't 'cause you're a girl," He replied, sticking his tongue out._

 _"Hey," She glared, itching to attach the boy, "I can kick your butt out of here if I wanted."_

 _"Oh, yeah? How are you gonna do that, pipsqueak?" Nino mocked, puffing out his chest._

 _"I'm Princess Marinette, you dumb pirate," She retorted, crossing her arms, "I can do whatever I want."_

 _"Please," The pirate waved, pushing the cat boy from behind him to the frontline, "and I'm the prince of the world. I can kick_ you _out if I wanted."_

 _"Nino," Cat Boy sighed, adjusting the stuffed bear under his arm._

 _"Well, you're in Paris right now," She argued, "I can get my papa to get you shipped all the way to the corner of the world. Watch and see. You'll fall off and drift into space."_

 _"Yeah, well-"_

 _"Nino, shh," Cat Boy said, shushing his friend and turning to the little girl pouting in front of him. "I'm sorry, Princess. He's just being... Nino."_

 _"I don't like 'Nino'," Marinette emphasized by jerking her head in an attempt to make him scared. It only made him roll his eyes._

 _"But, hey," Cat Boy smiled sweetly, a dimple appearing on his cheek, and Marinette was amazed at how pretty a boy could be (could boys be pretty?), "if you want to learn how to fence, you just have to tell your dad that the king of Nice lets his kids fence. Maybe he'll let you then."_

 _Marinette was flustered. For the first time in her five long years, she was rendered speechless as if she were struck by lightning. By a dumb boy dressed as a silly cat at that. Her mother would be ashamed. She had always been taught that she should always have something to say - especially against a man._

 _"Princess Marinette!"_

 _Marinette groaned, turning to the voice. "Yes, Bridgette?"_

 _"I told you to please stay with me," The lady-in-waiting panted, "I almost had a heart attack!"_

 _"You're overreacting, Bridgette," Marinette said, rolling her eyes._

 _"Well, it seems that we should be going," Cat Boy said politely. Marinette looked back sadly at him. She wanted to stay with him._

 _"Do you really?" She asked, "I can get my dad to cancel whatever you're gonna do so we can hang out or something." She suddenly felt bashful and turned tomato red._

 _"It's okay," He replied, turning to a very irritated Nino. His burly company had also nodded to him in confirmation of their need to leave. "I need to go and meet up with my parents for the ritual."_

 _"But..." Marinette's face started to turn red and puff up like a blowfish ready to attack. She looked like she was about to cry._

 _"Please, don't cry, Princess," He blurted in panic. He eyed the bear in his possession and handed it to her. "You can have this bear then."_

 _"Really?" She asked, suddenly returning to her usual state of energy, "Thank you!"_

 _"Yeah. I don't really need it," He responded, "I'll see you soon, Princess."_

 _"Bye!" She waved her wand goodbye, happily embracing her bear and shooting a glare at Nino who had decided to turn around and blow her a raspberry._

 _"Oy, Princess..." Bridgette sighed, shaking her head amusedly at the young royal, "what am I to do with you?"_

 _"You can carry Prince for me," She answered, holding out the teddy bear to her servant._

 _"Prince? Is that what you named him?" Bridgette asked, receiving the stuffed animal._

 _"Yes, because a handsome prince gave him to me," The princess nodded._

 _"Fittingly so, Your Highness," Bridgette chuckled, deciding to play along with what she thought was the princess' overactive imagination._

 _The sound of loud trumpets erupted from the palace balcony, and out emerged the king and queen of Paris. The crowd went silent. All activities stopped, and all eyes turned to the palace doors. Marinette excitedly watched her parents' announcement._

 _"People of Paris," King Tom boomed, "and guests from distant lands, I thank you for coming to celebrate our Festival du Soleil..."_

 _It didn't take very long for Marinette to lose interest. She soon started to kick a pebble by her feet disinterestedly as she droned out her father's boring speech. Marinette liked her papa, there was no doubt about it, but she couldn't change the fact the he could be so bone-crushingly boring. She took Prince's paw in her hand and started pulling on the fake fur, thinking_

 _maybe one day, when she's older, she'll see the pretty cat boy again and give him something in return for the bear._

 _The king eventually finished his speech, and the princess quickly guided Bridgette through the food stalls, making the caretaker buy her every single thing from each stand. The warmth of the festival made the young princess giddy. She skipped around until the loud toots of trumpets echoed through the square, signaling Marinette's cue to meet up with her parents. Bridgette led the little royal to her spot and sat her down on her plush, velvet seat next to her mother._

 _"Mama, who's doing the ritual this year?" Marinette asked excitedly through the loud music of the band, placing the plush toy between her legs._

 _"It's your cousin Androgena," The queen answered._

 _"I can't wait 'til it's my turn!" The princess squealed._

 _"Until you're sixteen, sweet," Her mother smiled._

 _The music cut off and the lights were shut off. The people's murmuring filled the silence until a single spotlight shone at the center of the square, revealing a young girl wearing a beautiful red and gold mesh dress with a crimson veil and gold bracelets covering her arm. She was holding a single candle, walking through the path people had created for her. Everyone turned silent as they watched her._

 _Marinette had a difficult time containing her excitement but she did her best to keep her mouth shut. Androgena carried the candle carefully and walked through the path in a graceful stride. She reached the altar at the end of the aisle and set the candle on top of it. She then started to move her hands and feet, beginning the dance as the sound of the traditional music started to play._

 _The young princess was captivated by the movements of her older relative and felt her mouth go agape. The teenager in red starting to move her hands up and down in a motion that was akin to the way branches moved on a windy day. She was standing on her toes, crossing them and twirling on them like a ballerina. Marinette was overcome with admiration for the beauty her cousin possessed._

 _"Marinette," Her mother mumbled._

 _"Yes, Mama?" Marinette whispered, turning to her mother._

 _"Nate would like to sit with you," Sabine said, motioning to the red-haired boy next to her, "Is that alright?"_

 _Marinette smiled widely and nodded. She scooched over in her seat, placed Prince on her lap, and let Nathanaël sit next to her. He turned red as he approached her, even moreso when she grabbed his hand and flashed a huge grin at him. He tried to say something, but his nervousness kept him from doing so, so he was rendered speechless as he watched the princess marvel down at the square with her hand grasping his._

 _Androgena raised her right hand up into the sky and slowly, the kingdom priest approached the duchess as he carried a single marigold in his hands. The priest placed the marigold atop the teen's raised hand and bowed. Androgena lowered her hand and gripped the flower tightly and knelt to the ground before the altar. The music ceased, and Androgena began to pray._

 _Marinette pursed her lips and clenched her palm with Nathanaël's in it. She closed her eyes tightly and began to wish silently to herself._

 _"I wish," She thought, "I wish I could be the maiden soon. I want to perform the ritual._

 _"I wish to be with Nathanaël forever. I wish for Mama and Papa to be with me forever."_

 _She shifted her feet more comfortably next to Nathanaël's. "I wish to meet Cat Boy again and marry him one day."_

 _Soon enough, music started to play again, signaling the end of the ritual and the kingdom burst into boisterous celebration. Marinette's eyes shot open, and she enveloped Nathanaël into an excited embrace._

 _"Yay!" She exclaimed, oblivious to the boy's evident embarrassment._

 _"Marinette, it's time to go inside for the feast," King Tom announced._

 _"Okay, Papa," Marinette replied, hopping from her chair with the plush toy in her hands. Nathanaël tried his best not to look disappointed at the princess' absence from his side._

 _As she entered the palace doors, Marinette smiled. She was disappointed that she didn't get to see the nice boy from earlier, but she knew she would see him again. That was the point of the ritual. Make a wish as the maiden prayed, and it will come true. Because of that, she wasn't gonna worry too much about it. She'll see him again._


	8. Chapter Eight

**Across Oceans - Chapter Eight**

She could hear whispers - whispers that reminded her of the way dandelion seeds flew in the air during windy summer days in the valley. The whispers were loud like thunder. They were warm like fire. She couldn't quite pinpoint the exact location of the sounds. She was in a strange daze she couldn't shake. Everything felt gray. Everything looked gray. Everything was gray. She couldn't remember what was going on. Where was she? How did she get here wherever she was? Who was she?

She could feel the whispers grow louder, and she thought of cotton being stuffed into pillows forcefully. Who were these whispers coming from? She felt linen under her fingers. She had fingers? She barely grasped the concept of limbs. She moved them slowly as much as she could in her weak state, and suddenly the whispers became voices - clear, strong, drumming voices. It hurt her head.

She could feel her body vibrate, but she wasn't doing the moving. Her diaphragm felt too heavy for her to move. It felt as if there was thick, sticky porridge just sitting on top of her chest. It was too heavy to move her trunk. So, she moved her fingers again.

The voices came back even louder. She needed to see what was going on. She just needed to remember which muscles to use to open her eyelids. She tried different ones until she finally found the right ones. It was difficult, and it stung her eyes physically like lemon juice to a paper cut. Her vision was milky white. She blinked. She was relieved to know she remembered to blink. The picture became a little clearer. There was now a blotch on the corner. She blinked. It was becoming more and more vivid. She blinked. She saw a woman. Blink. She knew this woman. Blink. Tikki?

Suddenly, her memories rushed through her mind like water through a dam being broken, and the sticky porridge in her chest melted. She tried her best to remember which muscles to use to control her bigger limbs and sat up painfully slowly. Her back hurt. Why did her back hurt? Her head was heavy, but she nursed it as she got up.

"Marinette?" Tikki asked, sounding completely relieved that she was now conscious.

She made a noise. Her throat was scratchy and dry.

"You're awake!" Tikki exclaimed as she approached the princess in a gentle embrace, making her flinch at the sudden change in pitch. "Oops, sorry." Tikki let go in fear of opening Marinette's wounds.

Marinette used her senses to take in her surroundings. She felt something soft under her body; she was in a big, queen-sized bed, a luxury she hadn't experienced in a long time. She was in a large room she had never been in before. It was decorated with even fancier things than the trinkets she had seen in Chat's quarters - things that she could only akin to the things from her palace. There was a window behind her, and the sun was pouring warm light onto her body. It wasn't too hot, so she guessed it was early morning. She didn't feel the familiar rocking of the ship. They were on land.

"Where are we?" She croaked, instantly regretting it as she felt her throat feel like it was being rubbed with sandpaper.

Tikki smiled softly, but the excitement in her expression leaked out. "We're in Athens."

"Athens?"

"Yes, Athens."

"Where's that?"

"I'll explain, Tikki," Another voice piped from the corner of the room, and that was the time Marinette realized they weren't alone. She squinted her eyes as she tried to see the approaching figure and realized it was Chat Noir. "Can you grab the princess something to eat?"

"Yes, Captain," Tikki replied obediently, shooting Marinette one more reassuring smile before leaving the room.

The princess and the pirate stayed in suffocating silence for what seemed like hours. Marinette kept her eyes glued to his side profile, not exactly glaring but not exactly happy to see him either. She wondered and waited. Where was his explanation?

"We're in Athens," Chat repeated, taking a seat on the chair bedside to her, "it's an island south of the allied kingdoms."

"We're in uncharted territory?" Marinette clarified.

"Not exactly," He replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"Then what?"

"It's an island where we stay during rest periods," He responded, "so, not exactly 'uncharted', per se. Moreso, unbothered."

"What does that even mean?" She questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"It means no one's coming," He answered flatly, "at least, not when we're here during rest. We normally spend most of our time at sea, but the men like to feel earth sometimes, too."

"So," She droned, "we're in a rest period?"

"Yes," He nodded.

"A rest period for what?" Maybe she'll finally get answers.

"For, uh, the plan, well," He uncharacteristically stammered over his words, turning redder, "the plan is that, um, the plan is-"

"The plan is, the plan is. The plan is what, Chat? What's wrong with you? Cat got your tongue?" Marinette teased.

"It's not like that it's just-"

"Fine, fine," She interrupted, looking down on her lap in disappointment, "You can't say. I know."

"It's not that, Princess," He repeated, taking a deep breath, "there's just way too much. It's too long of a story, and you've only just woken up after so long-"

"How..." She voiced nervously, "How long was I asleep?"

He fell into silence. He turned his eyes to her with the most dead-serious look on his face. He almost looked angry. He almost looked sorry. "You fell unconscious four days ago on the ship."

"...During the attack, I remember," She said, pieces of the puzzle fitting slowly, "When I..." She turned red.

"When you saved me from death," He continued, looking away from her.

Again, a pregnant pause fell on their shoulders. Marinette was embarrassed, and so was he. She felt bashful because she could feel herself hypocritical. She always claimed her hatred towards him. She always mocked him and joked with him, yet she saved him almost at the cost of her own life. Why did she save him again? She didn't quite remember.

"That ship was a privateer," Chat coughed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, "It was sent by the Kingdom of Italy when they found out that we had you captive. They were going to hold you ransom in exchange usurping the allied kingdoms as the dominant power."

"What?" Marinette felt like she was electrocuted by a thousand volts. They _did_ want to hurt her.

Chat Noir stared at her weirdly before beggining to scream out loudly, "The Kingdom of Italy-"

"Yes, yes," Marinette interrupted, covering her hand over his mouth, "I heard you."

Chat's eyes glistened mischievously. Marinette suddenly felt something very wet on her hand. She flinched away, realizing that he had licked her.

"Nasty!" She hissed.

"Hey, cats lick everything," He argued, grinning to himself.

"That's dogs, you dense fool! Yuck," She scrunched up her nose and wiped her hand on the bed.

Chat Noir laughed to himself as he watched the princess. Slowly, his eyes turned softer, and he was, once again, silent. Marinette hadn't realized that his gaze had turned guilty and prompted to look up at him with a playful pout, but at the sight of his staring, she pursed her lips tightly and averted her eyes away from him. She didn't like how burning his face made hers.

The silence was broken when the door clicked open, revealing Tikki who was holding a tray with warm cereal and honey-lemon tea. She took the meal and set it down on the table next to the princess and began to feed her.

"Has the captain explained everything?" Tikki asked excitedly.

"He's told me about where we are," Marinette replied. She was surprised to see Tikki look almost disappointed, cocking her eyebrow at the pirate who was stubbornly averting her gaze.

"Oh," She hummed, feeding Marinette a spoonful of cereal, "Well, he still has much to say," She coughed to make Chat look at her, "right, _Captain_?"

"I don't understand," Marinette replied, swallowing the gooey meal, "what else is there to say?"

"Oh, I don't know," Tikki though almost sarcastically, "Captain?"

Chat shot Tikki a glare before sighing. "Look, she's tired. She just woke up from a four-day coma. Let her rest." He got up from his seat and made his way to the door. "I'm going to gather fish with Alya and the men, so keep her company," He coughed. Before closing the door, he gave Marinette one last look. "This is your room now."

Marinette was dumbfounded as she looked around. The contrast between this room and her closet was like fire and ice. She supposed it was to show her gratitude for her deed, but after spending so much time in tight conditions, she felt misplaced in the grandiosity of the room. She felt as if there was too much space. Her closet was small, yes, but it was comfortable and often felt like a cocoon during times she was in there. It was comical; a princess that wanted to return to a dingy supply closet rather than stay in a luxurious room.

"Sorry, Princess. He'll... come around to telling you everything," Tikki sighed.

"Tikki, tell me everything that happened after I passed out," Marinette coughed out, wincing as she felt a dulling pain in her back.

The former nurse quietly set down the bowl in her hands and sat on the bed next to the princess. "Well... you were asleep for four days."

"Four days..." Marinette trailed. Tikki nodded sadly.

"You were almost dead, but Alya and I were able to take you down to Chat's room and get you stable. Luckily, one of the crewmen was an apocathery before he joined the ship," Tikki explained, shaking her head at the memory, "Chat was so angry with what happened that he went on a rampage and... well, let's just say the battle didn't take longer."

Marinette stared at her fingers in shock and pursed her lips.

"We kept you in Chat's room while you were recovering. We stopped by Avignon last night for supplies," Tikki continued. Marinette forced herself to choke down her disappointment like a bitter pill. She was too late in executing her plan. Not only that, she managed to injure herself to the point where she almost died.

"How-How bad are my injuries?" She asked nervously, suddenly very wary of the bandages under her nightgown around her torso and head.

"They should be okay if you give them enough time to heal," Tikki answered, "Your back is what we're most worried about. He wasn't able to impale you or anything like that, but there is most definitely going to be a very long scar." Marinette flinched at the word.

"That's okay," She gulped, pathetically trying to joke, "I mean, it's not like I take my clothes in public regularly."

Tikki smiled sympathetically. "I suppose so."

"Tikki, if it's okay, can I rest a little more?" The princess sighed, "I need some time to process all of this."

"Of course," Tikki replied, nodding understandingly. She got up and collected the half-finished meal she brought in, making her way to the bedroom door.

"Oh, and Tikki?" Marinette croaked, "Do you mind bringing in my books and knitting from the ship?"

"Of course, Princess."

Click. Just like that, she was alone again. It was a little unnerving. She took a moment and completely absorbed her surroundings. The room felt warm like a hot cup of tea on a cold day, but cool like Italian ice on a Sunday. She wasn't used to it anymore, but she knew for a fact that she was determined to return to her normal life. A nagging part of her still absolutely hated Chat for taking almost two months away from her life without permission, no matter how nice he was becoming.

With that in mind, she forced herself to get out of the bed to do some snooping around her new room. First target: a glass-paneled door that led to a veranda. It took a while, and it was excruciatingly painful trying to slide down the mattress, but her feet finally touched the cold marble. She used most of her strength and stood up, wobbling as she felt incoherently weak in the legs. She took her first few steps slowly, scared that she would fall and hurt herself even more. It was as if she was a baby trying to learn how to walk.

"Come on," She muttered impatiently to herself.

It took a while, but she was able to reach the doorknob. She opened it and was immediately greeted by the familiar scent of salt and wet sand. The villa where they were at overlooked the sea beautifully, at least from her room. There was overgrowth on the walls and railings, but Marinette liked the way it framed the view. There were a few pieces of outdoor furniture, but nothing too grand, and dead leaves all over, a sign that no one had been there in a while.

She could see crewmen from the ship, some bandaged up, doing chores around the beach. There were a couple carrying wood and some cleaning. Their bustling camaraderie echoed through the place, and Marinette couldn't help herself but feel comforted at the sound of it.

Shaking her head, she realized that she couldn't waste her time standing around, watching people admiringly, when she should be trying to take them down. She returned back inside, feeling a bit more comfortable with her new, frail body. She looked through some more things in her room like the wardrobe (filled with nothing but dust), a writing desk, a set of bookshelves with copies of the different laws from the allied kingdoms, a golden cube of the world, and even the creases in arm chairs and under her bed. Nothing. Expected, of course, but nonetheless disappointing.

She could feel her lungs get tighter, and she realized she was out of breath from moving too much too fast. She sat down on the canopy bed. A knock resounded and in came Tikki from the door, carrying Marinette's knitting basket and books.

"Sorry it took so long," Tikki apologized, dropping the things bedside, "I had trouble finding them in storage."

"It's okay," Marinette hummed, looking through the things interestedly, "I was just looking around."

"It's a little empty," Tikki said sheepishly, "You see, this used to be Chat's mother's room. No one has really ever been allowed in here so it's a little dusty."

"Where is she staying then if I'm staying in her room?" Marinette asked curiously.

"She passed away a few years ago," Tikki explained.

"Oh." Marinette suddenly felt bad for the captain. Plus, what made him give her a room owned by someone precious to him like that. "Was she part of the whole pirate thing?"

"No, she wasn't actually."

"Then what did she do?" She asked bemusedly.

"She had a job somewhere else," Tikki answered vaguely, "Chat spent his time with Plagg, Gorilla and I."

"What about his father?"

"I'm afraid that's a question that he should really answer himself," Tikki sighed, knowing that hhe princess would be impatient with her answer, "but don't worry. He promised me that he'll tell you everything. He just won't tell me when, though."

"Why can't you just tell me already? Why the suspense?" Marinette pouted.

"Because what I know barely scratches the surface of what's going on. It's best that you find out from the person with the reasons to come up with it in the first place."

"At this rate, I'm going to need to risk my life for his three more times before he tells me anything," She spat.

"Please, be patient, Princess," Tikki asked, almost begging, almost pleading, "I just know that when you find out, you'll feel a lot more comfortable with us."

"Comfortable..." Marinette trailed, staring out into the window away from Tikki, "Tikki, I'm getting kind of tired," _hearing that from you and everyone else_ , "Can I take a nap?"

"Yes, of course," Tikki replied, quickly getting up to leave, "I'll wake you up when it's time to change your bandages."

"Sounds great," Marinette mumbled, hiding back under the covers under the pretense of going to sleep. She waited for Tikki to leave and looked over at her at her bedside table to find her Little Mermaid book. She then took it and cursed when she realized that she neither had her 'quill' not her 'ink'.

She opened the book to the page where she had been writing and realized that the wine had separated into sediments, making everything illegible and a complete mess. Groaning, she pat the book softly against her forehead. She looked around the room to see if there was anything she could use when she saw the writing desk and felt loads relieve her chest.

The princess quickly made her way to the table and opened the small drawer at the front, happy to see that there was paper, an ink well, and a quill in there. Pulling up a chair, she began to scribble on the paper everything that she knew so far again with her updated information.

 _Chat Noir is a pirate. He stole Marinette from Paris (why?). He did not like Princess Lila or Nice. Nino is from Nice (maybe so is Chat?). Chloe was related to Chat. She was also the princess of Normandy which was an ally of Paris (treason). They were in an uncharted island south of the kingdoms called Athens. Chat's real name was Adrien (How does that play in?). Chat wasn't always a pirate (Gorilla knew him from before then). Chat had a mother whose old room Marinette now resides (snooping potential; how did she die? Also, how did Chat obtain such a huge mansion? Mom = possible pirate before death?). He also had a portrait of the most beautiful boy in the world (this felt important, but how?)._

Marinette started to grow frustrated. She needed to know more. She needed to know more. She needed to know more. Her bones ached for information. Why hasn't he come back from fishing yet? How long does it take to fish? You just look for fish and take it! The princess groaned loudly into her empty room. She didn't risk her life to feel undermined like this.

It distressed her to no end hearing the crushingly nagging voice at the back of her head screaming incoherency at her. She felt like she should know something by now. She was given so many pieces and clues, but she still couldn't make the picture look right no matter how many angles she looked at it. It was at the tip of her tongue. She just needed a few more clues, and she felt like she would finally get it.

Chat Noir better have a good reason or else she would actually make him walk the plank herself.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Across Oceans - Chapter Nine**

Marinette and the Black Skeleton crew spent two more weeks in Athens to recover from their battle with the enemy ship. Marinette had healed remarkably through the use of strange herbs she'd never heard of that grew native to the island. Soon enough, she was skipping through the camp that the men had set up using tents and helping to collect fruits and berries in the outer regions of the forestry. The men were more than helpful whenever she needed something like more firewood for her room or a new chair for her writing desk. If she weren't kidnapped, Marinette would have to say that the island life was refreshing compared to the banality of her life at the palace.

The only thing that abothered her was that Chat Noir had not presented himself to her since the day she woke up. She still had no idea what her purpose was, and no amount of snooping around the villa gave her any more clues. She was getting impatient.

Alya tapped on the princess' shoulder.

"Hm?" Marinette responded as she snapped out of her daze and turned to look at her companion. It was raining outside. It tended to happen a lot on the island. She liked to watch the drops patter against the window.

"The captain would like to see you," The redhead said, offering the princess a reassuring smile.

"That's a first. Tell him to come in," Marinette replied flatly, returning her gaze to the drops on the cool glass.

"He wants to see you in his room, Princess," Alya continued, pursing her lips excitedly. Marinette cocked an eyebrow.

"What's with that look?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well... Chat Noir has finally allowed you to send a letter to your family!" The pirate exclaimed, waving her arms in excitement.

"Seriously?" Marinette asked, getting up immediately from her bay window.

"Yes," Alya laughed, "Tikki and I were able to convince him."

"How?"

"For one, you saved his life and he still hasn't properly thanked you," She rolled her eyes, "and he still hasn't told you about his plan. I really dislike you being against us, and I hoped he would repay you quickly but he just wouldn't budge. So, we finally got him to agree to let you send a letter - with information he approves of, of course."

"Still," Marinette gulped, "Thank you so much!" She hugged her companion, tears welling in her eyes.

"It's no problem, Marinette," Alya sighed, reciprocating the embrace.

"I'll get going right away. Where's his room?" The princess asked giddily.

"It's the one with the big door," Alya replied, rolling her eyes ever so slightly.

"The really obnoxious one that looks like an entire sequoia was used to make it?" Marinette scrunched up her nose.

"That's the one," Alya laughed.

"Talk about compensating," The princess puffed quickly before lifting her skirt to exit the room.

Marinette quickly ran down the halls to the captain's room. In all the time she was in the villa, she had never been so gutsy to actually sneak in the pirate's room in fear of booby traps or strange women. Today, she would finally get the opportunity to see it. It both scared her and excited her. If she played her cards right, she would be able to gain more information.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the big door.

"Come in, Princess." Her heart nearly stopped. She creaked the structure open and allowed the sight of the captain's room to swallow her up. It was cold, and the gloominess of the outside had seeped through the windows. Had it not been for the lamp in the corner of the room, the space would have been enveloped in darkness. The rumbling of the rain outside was like a melody to Marinette's ears. It was gentle yet harsh, and it reminded her of rainy days in Paris. She realized why she liked the rain so much. It was because rain was the same anywhere she went. It was a uniform that whatever country she went to wore. In a way, it reminded her that she was still on earth - that she was still alive no matter what her circumstances were.

Chat Noir was sitting by the raindrop-soaked window on a large armchair. His head was supported by his fist almost melancholically as he looked out the window. Marinette decided that the pirate was a big drama queen.

She coughed and he turned to her slowly with a blank expression on his face.

"I don't like the rain," He said.

"Mhm. I heard cats tend not to," She replied wittily as she approached him.

He hummed a low purr, staring passively at her as she took a seat on a chair opposite him. "I take that you want to write to your parents as soon as possible?"

"Of course," She answered, "they must be worried sick about me. They haven't heard from me in months."

He shot her a look. A look that whispered a serenity that sent shivers up her spine. It wasn't necessarily a threatening look, but neither was it an inviting one. She began to feel her heart pound through her chest as his emerald gaze tore every layer of her being off. She could feel a lump in her throat grow larger and larger like a hard bubble cutting off her windpipe. He wanted to say something, she could tell, but he wasn't saying anything. She wanted to say something, too, but she wasn't sure what was appropriate. She wished terribly for him to look somewhere else, so she decided to avert her gaze to her feet and focus on the shadows of the raindrops on the floor.

"...How come you decided to let me communicate with my parents?" She asked, gulping down the mass at the back of her mouth.

"It's the right thing to do," He replied coolly, "You're lucky enough to have someone out there worrying for you. Not to mention, an entire country."

Marinette suddenly became very aware of the fact that Chat Noir's mother had passed away, and no traces of his father could be found anywhere. "You... You have an entire ship that cares very much for you."

"That is true," He replied. She could feel his voice grow softer.

Silence. The rain sounds had filled the room as if it were an instrument being played at a concert hall.

"She was happy, you know."

"What? Who?" She asked at his sudden statement.

"My mother. I know Tikki told you that your room was hers before she passed away. That woman can't restrain herself to save her life," He snickered half-heartedly.

"Oh, um..." She stated awkwardly.

"She passed away happy," He repeated, "I wasn't a pirate then. I wasn't Chat Noir."

Marinette sat respectfully paid attention, knowing that he was about to tell her something crucial about himself. She folded her hands neatly on her lap and traced her eyes shyly up to the pirate's face, which she realized had not torn away from her from the moment they started speaking. She felt her cheeks warm.

"She reminds me a lot of you actually, Princess. Maybe that's why I couldn't find it in myself to simply kill you the moment you were in my grasp," He said nonchalantly that the princess flinched at the casualness, "She had your eyes."

"...What was she like?" She asked meekly, feeling awkward at his last statement.

"She was the best person to have ever lived. Even when my father died, she still did her best to raise me on her own right here in this island in this house," He answered, "I know you're just dying to know how on earth I was able to acquire such a villa, probably you're thinking that I stole it from some rich man, but I'm sorry to say that's not exactly what happened."

"I never-" A low rumble of thunder rolled outside.

"Don't you _cat_ around me, Your Highness," Chat joked passively, "I know your opinion of me isn't the highest, and I honestly can't blame you. I have been the vilest scum to have walked the earth."

Marinette licked her lips.

"My mother and father built this house when I was born," He explained, "We were actually quite wealthy."

Her eyes grew as large as tea saucers. "Why aren't you anymore?"

"I lost it," Chat hummed simply, "Or rather, we lost it after my father passed away, and so my mother took care of me with the help of Gorilla, Plagg, and Tikki. All that was left for me was this island that my mother inherited from a distant uncle and the Black Skeleton."

She felt a shift in the rhythm of her heartbeat at the revelation.

"They were our servants ever since I was a child," He said, rubbing a silver ring on his ring finger (had he always had that ring?), "They've been with me for as long as I can remember."

"Was it nice?" She asked, blushing madly despite herself, "Growing up here, I mean."

He didn't answer, letting the rain fill the silence following her question. She felt a growing self-consciousness root in her toes and crawl up all over her body. She itched for him to say something, and it irritated the hell out of her that he was keeping his mouth shut.

"How..." Marinette coughed, realizing that Chat wasn't going to answer her prior question, "How did she pass?"

"An illness. An extremely late case of Red Water. The doctors were surprised the disease still existed in the first place," He replied blankly, staring at her with almost bored eyes, "She had caught it when she went to mainland for supplies. That was about two years ago."

"I'm sorry," The princess choked, not really sure what to say.

"My father, on the other hand, died before her a little bit more violently," He chuckled humorlessly as he stood up. He calmly walked closer to his large, floor-to-ceiling windows and stared out into the angriness of the crashing waves out at sea. "He was killed when I was about eleven."

"By who?" Marinette asked, not really thinking very much of filtering her sensitivities.

"Someone I thought we could trust," He replied as his jaw clenched.

Marinette swallowed her saliva. "Who... Who was it?"

Chat Noir didn't answer again but turned to her slowly away from the window. He looked at her almost sadly as she returned it with an apologetic one. He walked towards her seat and grabbed a lock of her hair. She felt her heart pounding nervously. He leaned over, pulling the hair closer to his mouth and kissing it. Marinette felt as though her soul was being boiled alive with the heat her body was making.

"Ask Tikki to get you stationery for your letter," He said finally, letting go of her locks, "I prefer if you left your materials in your room. I can't stand feathers."

"What sort of cat hates feathers?" Marinette stammered in the strangeness of his statement, forcing herself to brush away the embarrassment from her body.

"The kind that can deplete an entire ship of burly men in thirty minutes by himself," He answered haughtily, offering a small smile.

"Mm, the same kind that needs a sixteen-year-old princess to save him?" Marinette teased in an attempt to force her heartbeat to steady.

"Yes, I suppose so," He chuckled.

A flash of lightning temporarily lit up his face, and Marinette saw, really saw, how exhausted he looked. He was still wearing his mask, but she could see the bloodshot surrounding the emeralds in his eyes and the wrinkles his fatigue created on the corner of his lips. Something was going on with him, and she couldn't decide whether or not she should care. The moment passed, the lightning disappeared, and the room was in dimness again.

"Chat?" Marinette said.

"Hm?"

"Is there anything else that I need to know?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell me?"

He muffled a chuckle. "I think you should write your letter now."

"Fine," Marinette pouted, "but at least tell me this." She sat up straight and looked at him straight in the eyes. "Are you going to hurt my family? Or even my people?"

He took a deep inhale through the nose, reciprocating the seriousness of her stare. The rustling of the palm trees outside against the windows sounded like nature was trying to answer the question for Chat Noir. "I don't intend to, no."

She felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She picked up her skirt and made her way out the door. A thunder roared and a lightning flashed. She held the door open for herself and stopped. "Thank you. For telling me about this."

He didn't answer.

* * *

By afternoon, the rain had stopped and the clouds had parted. The smell of wet sand and petrichor wafted through the room as Marinette opened up her windows. She felt at peace as the sunlight appeared and washed her face in bright golden rays of light. Her eyes glimmered at the sight of the now-calmed ocean and the blueness of the waters. The men had started to exit their tents and took care of the debris from the storm. She could see some checking on the fishing boats and the lumber shed. The sound of cicadas echoed from the forestry. It was a beautiful sight.

She hummed a tune as she started to clean up her writing materials. She had been writing all day as she waited for the rain to stop. So far, she had written thirteen pages worth of feelings that entailed her capture and her reassurance that she was still alive. She wondered if it all would fit in one envelope. After such a tearful encounter with stationery, she felt loads off her chest. It was magical, really.

She folded the papers symmetrically and placed it next to her list of "Things I Know About Chat Noir's Plan" in a secretive compartment in her writing desk. She wondered how much she actually knew by now. She wondered when he'd actually tell her everything.

Stepping outside her room to exit the villa, she decided to forego her shoes and threw them into her room haphazardly. She went to the beach, feeling wet sand on the porch dust her feet. A couple of crewmen greeted her hello as they continued on with their chores. She saw some birds flying over her head, and a lot of crabs started to emerge from the sand. She slowly stepped down the staircase, each step getting sandier and wetter. She laid her feet on the beach and buried it warmly beneath the warm blanket of sand. She took a deep breath. This was an experience she normally didn't get to enjoy back at the palace.

She made her way through the chattering of the crewmen and approached a familiar redhead crouched by the shore.

"Alya," The princess called.

Alya turned her head to the royal from drawing patterns in the sand. She looked sad. "Hello."

"What's wrong?" Marinette asked as she lowered herself down next to Alya.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking about some stuff," Alya dismissed, looking back down on the sand.

"Come on," Marinette said as she rolled her eyes, "tell me. I promise I won't judge."

"I just miss him," The pirate sighed, drawing circles in the sand.

"I'm sorry," The blue-haired princess hummed as she raised her skirt to submerge her feet in the shallow waters. The water was polar opposite to the way it looked during the storm, being calm and perfectfly cool against her skin. "Tell me how you met?"

"We met when before I joined the ship," Alya said with a small smile in reminiscence, "He was the one that introduced me to Chat Noir."

"That was when Chat was already a pirate?" Marinette clarified, staring off into the horizon.

"Yes, it was about a year and a half ago," Alya answered, looking sadly down at her drawings, "I was trying to steal his wallet when he went to buy beer during an event in Nice."

Marinette looked down curiously at her companion.

"He caught me and we ended up having a duel right there at the pub," Alya chuckled softly, her eyes looking sad and lonely, "We ended up getting kicked out, so we walked around the city all night. That's when he decided to introduce me to Chat Noir. I haven't pickpocketed since."

The princess hummed in acknowledgement and turned her eyes back into the sea as she digested the information Alya had just presented to her.

"I used to be a thief," Alya sighed, "Not because I wanted to, but because I needed to. My parents died when I was baby, and it was the only way to survive in the streets."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Marinette said sympathetically.

"Don't be," Alya said softly, "I was too young to remember them anyway, and without that happening, I never would have met Nino or Chat. I'm happy with the life they gave me. It's just that... Sometimes, I..." She stood up from her position and stared out into the sea. "Sometimes, I think maybe I want to have a normal life. Get married, have children, maybe even join a printing guild."

"So, why don't you?" Marinette asked.

"It's not that easy," Alya answered, shaking her head, "Chat... He needs me right now. And he's done more for me that I could ever do for him."

Marinette didn't answer and let the feeling of crashing pools of water on her feet distract her thoughts. She and Alya stood there for a long time in silence, simply staring at the water in each other's company. There wasn't very much else to say.

* * *

After a while, Marinette decided to retreat to her room to dress her wound. Tikki had come in and helped her. It still stung, and she could feel the largeness of it. She had never seen it, because she was terrified of seeing the horrendous mess she imagined that was now tattooed on her skin forever.

"It's not that bad," Tikki would always say as she rubbed the strange concoction of herbs and goop on Marinette's raw skin, "I've seen a lot worse back when I was working in the castle."

"Okay," She would always reply. But still, she couldn't bare to see it.

After redressing her injuries, Marinette decided to go into the kitchen for dinner so she could turn in earlier.

To her surprise, Gorilla had made her croissants.


	10. Chapter Ten (Part I)

**Across Oceans - Chapter Ten (Part I)**

"Where are we going?" Marinette asked with a slightly irritated tone as she swatted a leaf away from her face.

"You'll see," Chat Noir replied, doing the same thing, "It's only a couple more minutes."

Marinette grunted in response, scratching the mosquito bites all over her arms and legs. It was midday and the glaring sunlight was boring holes into her skin. They had been walking for hours by then. Chat had woken her up at the crack of dawn that morning, telling her that she needed to put on walking trousers and mountain shoes. He informed her that they were going to be going on a small hike through the forest, except for the fact that it was the farthest thing from a "small hike."

"You said that an hour ago," Marinette spat back.

"Be patient, Your Highness," Chat said as he rolled his eyes, "it's really close I promise."

They continued trudging on for a few more miles, bickering the entire way. They climbed over huge rocks, slid past narrow cliffs, and went through a few tunnels. If Marinette didn't know any better, Chat was trying to get her as far away from base as possible to cook her or something. (It certainly wasn't out of the realm of possibility; her mother used to tell her horror stories about the cannibals that lived in jungles). It didn't help that he kept putting food into her mouth whenever she started getting too loud, agitating her further.

After using his sword to cut through overgrowth for one last time, Chat Noir grinned to himself as he wiped off the sweat on his brow, relieved at what was in front of him. Marinette irritatedly followed the path he had created.

"I don't understand why you can't just tell me - woah."

"That's why I couldn't tell you," Chat chuckled at Marinette's awe-stricken expression.

In front of them was an oasis - a reservoir with the crystal-clearest water and a tall white waterfall with the most graceful current. Trees and different species of red, blue, yellow, and orange flowers were surrounding the water. There was overgrowth all over the ground and aged stone walls. When Marinette looked down the huge stone where they were standing, she was greeted with the sight of even more flowers and shrubs.

"This is so beautiful!" She exclaimed, breathing in the faint fragrance of the flowers.

She turned around with a huge smile, but was surprised to see that Chat Noir had disappeared. She suddenly turned nervous. Had he left her behind?

"Up here, Princess," He called out.

She clocked her head up and saw him hanging onto a vine mid-air, a smirk perched on his lips.

"What on Earth are you doing?" She questioned, eyeing the hazardously thin string of plant he was hanging on.

"Grab the other one next to me and follow, okay?" He answered, using his legs to gain tempo and swung away to the other side of the reservoir where the waterfalls was located.

"What- I will certainly will not- I-" She reasoned with herself. But, the sight of Chat Noir swinging with a vine just looked... looked... looked so much _fun_. Shoving away sixteen years worth of princess etiquette lessons at the back of her mind, she grabbed the nearest vine and copied Chat's actions.

Forward. Back. Forward. Back. She kept her eyes closed just in case she fell. She didn't want to see herself plummet to her death. She could feel herself lift off the ground. Fear struck her heart and she focused on grabbing the vine for dear life. She must have been fifty - a hundred feet above the air by now over pretty sharp rocks.

"Open your eyes!" Chat's voice echoed from the other side of the area.

"No!" She yelled back.

"Don't be a coward, Princess!" He mocked.

Her eyes shot open in a glare. "Don't you call me coward, Mister-"

"Look down!"

When her eyes shot south, she wasn't sure what exactly she was afraid of until that point. The reservoir was already beautiful on the rock. It was even more so from an aerial point of view. She could clearly see the round rocks in the water, and small animals playing with each other, and all the trees looked like parents watching over everything as they circled the falls. Squinting, she could see the small fish swimming in the water and other creatures gallivanting around the haven. Is this what birds felt like? If so, at that moment, she wished sorely she was a bird.

The moment ended when she hovered over a small cliff where Chat Noir had caught her by the waist before she could crash into the wall. She could feel the sweat and the muscle through his black shirt. He smelled like the sea and something she couldn't really distinguish that smelled an awful lot like citrus.

She stopped herself from feeling disappointed when he let her go. She wanted to figure out what the citrusy smell was.

"Be careful," He said, shaking his head, "You almost crashed into the rocks, foolish princess."

She felt the tips of her ears grow hot. "Stupid cat," She spat back like venom.

He chuckled, and Marinette felt her face flush in irritation. He walked towards the falling water, gesturing for her to follow with his hand. She begrudgingly did what she was told. As they got closer, Marinette realized that there was a path behind the waterfalls. There was a cave, too. She had always read about such structures in books but never seen it in person. She found herself getting excited.

"What is this place, Chat?" She asked curiously.

"This is my secret place," He said, "I'm the only one left alive that knows of its existence. Well, now you, too."

"But why? Why tell me about this place?" She asked, feeling her heart pound at the revelation of how personal this place was.

"Because I want you to understand," He said simply, "I want you to understand that I'm not trying to hurt you." He scratched the back of his neck. "I want to apologize, too."

"You? Apologize? Has the world come to an end?" Marinette gawked jokingly.

He smiled but immediately turned serious again. "I'm not kidding. I really am sorry, Princess. I wish I didn't need to take you away from your home and family."

"Then why did you?" She asked.

He took a deep breath and entered the cave behind the waterfalls. "You'll see why."

Marinette was surprised at how pitch black the interior of the structure was compared to the outside which was only a few feet away from them. It was as if they were stuck in a vacuum that sucked all light away from sight. She wondered how Chat Noir maneuvered easily as the ventured deeper and deeper. Maybe he's some sort of mystical being that can see in the dark. Perhaps he really was trying to eat her.

She wanted to laugh at herself, but she found that she was genuinely afraid.

"Don't be scared," He said, grabbing her hand and folding it neatly into his, "I know the way to and from."

Marinette wanted to flinch her hand away but was surprised to realize that his touch gave her great comfort despite her fear of him trying to eat her.

They walked for a few more minutes until they reached a wall. Chat let go of her hand, and she felt the air be very cool against the perspiration on her palm. She heared a tapping noise and then light appeared. He had lit up a torch with obsidian. They were at the very end of the cave.

"What are we doing here?" She asked, adjusting her eyes to the light.

"To kill you," He answered flatly.

"What?!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening.

He snickered as he rolled his eyes. "Such a _pussycat._ I'm just kidding."

She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him. Chat chuckled and handed her the torch, ushering her to come closer to the wall.

"Raise it up here," He said, pointing to a spot of the wall. She did so, and she saw some strange figures etched on the stone. They looked golden against the fire. Almost as if they were shining by their own right.

"What is that?" She asked, trying to make out what they could possibly stand for.

"They're hieroglyphs," He answered, "They were used by the ancients to communicate. It's like an alphabet of sorts."

"And you can read these?" She inquired, furthering her investigation of the engravements.

"Yes, my father taught me when I was young."

"What does it say?"

He shifted his body away from her and watched the carvings. "This... This is a prophecy."

"A prophecy?"

He nodded his head. "This is a prophecy about two opposites coming together to defeat a larger frontier."

"I don't understand," She said, staring at him, "What does that have to do with me?"

Chat raised his hand and pointed at a distorted figure that looked like a bat with six legs. "This says 'the darkness brings power'." He moved his hand to the next drawing that looked like a long-necked swan with a lizard's head, "This says 'the purity of light brings wisdom." Chat nervously turned to her. "I am the darkness, and you," He paused, "You are the light."

"What?" She asked bemusedly, "Read me the whole thing."

He coughed. "In a time long from now, a larger frontier comes to rise. The mountains will move and the seas will roar. The twelve stars will fall and all will be chaos. Until the ends of the Earth come together, the darkness which brings power and the light which brings wisdom, the demons will continue to lurk."

"That still doesn't make any sense. How am I involved?" She asked in confusion.

"I... I haven't been completely honest with you," He said, averting his eyes away from both the wall and Marinette.

"Understatement of the year," She joked.

He seemed to brush off her comment and asked, "Have you ever wondered why Chat Noir is supposed to be a hundred years old by now, but I, the devilishly handsome gentleman in front of you, looks much too attractive to be some old man?"

She pursed her lips in thought before rolling her eyes. "Yes. Yes, I have."

"Obviously, I'm not a hundred years old," He said as the cackle of the fire resounded in the cave, "And that's because I wasn't always Chat Noir."

"Well, yeah. I sort of figured since you told me that you weren't a pirate two years ago before your mom passed away," She responded.

"Too perceptive," He chided, scrunching his nose in mock disgust, "Anyway, the original Chat Noir gave me his name."

"Who was he?" Marinette asked, feeling slightly overwhelmed at the information he was giving her.

"His name was Master Fu," Chat answered, "His ship had been destroyed during a storm, and he ended up washed up on the shore of Athens. Mother and I nursed him back to health. By that time, we didn't know he was Chat Noir."

"Then what happened?" She asked attentively.

"Basically, the death of his crew, the wreck of his ship, and the fact that Mother and I cared for him without ill-intent changed him in a way that he no longer wanted to be a conniving pirate anymore. Said he was remorseful of his mistakes," He answered, "I think he just needed a way to retire because he was so old."

"Well, where is he now? I'd like to give him a piece of my mind," The princess declared, crossing her arms.

"He's dead," Chat answered simply, "Or rather, I'm pretty sure he's dead. He disappeared a few days after Mother died. We thought that he maybe took a walk or something to get it off his mind, but when a storm rolled in and he didn't come back, we just assumed that he had been sucked into the sea. Maybe he willingly entered the waters, I don't know. All he left behind was his sword," Chat put a hand on his sheath, "and his mask. I connected the rest of the dots."

He turned to her and shot her a knowing look. "And no, I did not pilage any of your citizens. It just so happened that every time I stopped by for supplies, they insisted on joining me on the ship. Seemed that kingdom living standards aren't exactly as ideal as you think."

She gulped down a lump in her throat but remained quizzical. "But what does that have to do with this prophecy?"

"Well, you see, when I read this with my father as a kid, I always thought that it was stupid, all until the day I saw my father's murder," He answered, clenching his fist in anger, "I swore to never let his murderer get away with it."

"Who... who killed your father?" Marinette asked hesitantly.

Chat didn't answer, and Marinette was scared that he was going to go back to leaving her in ambiguity, but his body had moved again so he was facing her directly. She did the same.

"Do you know who the current monarch of Nice is?" Chat asked.

"Yes," She raised her finger to the corner of her lip to remember, "It's King Papillon and his daughter Lila. But what does-" Her eyes grew wide. "Did King Papillon murder your father?"

"Yes," Chat Noir answered, clenching his jaw.

"But- But why? That doesn't make any-"

"Well, it did to King Papillon," He interrupted, speaking of the monarch's name as if it were poison in his mouth, "It made sense to kill my father and so he did."

"But..."

"That monster deserves nothing less than a guillotine for his throne," He said spitefully, "He's the larger frontier we must overcome."

"I'm still so confused. How am I this light with wisdom or whatever?"

"Festival du Soleil," He answered.

Marinette's heartbeat shifted at the change in tone of the sound of his words. "What about it?"

He raised his eyes to meet hers. "When is it?"

"It's... three months after my birthday," She answered with her eyebrows scrunching together.

He didn't say anything and watched her as if he were watching a child figure out an arithmetic problem. Her eyes scrunched up as she tried to solve the problem. She looked back up at he figures on the wall, and then she realized.

"And you-" He started.

"I was supposed to be the Sun Maiden this year," She realized. Suddenly, everything made sense like puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly.

He nodded in confirmation. "And that's why I need you."

"But..." She sounded hurt, "You took me away from my life. You caused me and my family to suffer for _you_. That... That is the most selfish thing that I've ever seen anybody do."

Chat Noir didn't know what to say. He stared at her guiltily. Marinette felt her blood begin to boil. She was disgusted with him.

"I understand that you were hurt; that King Papillon killed your father, but it doesn't give you the right to hurt other people," She spat at him as hot tears of pure rage ran down her face, "Dear God, my family... The kingdom must be so worried! How could you?"

"I had no choice, Princess!" He argued in a burst of energy, grabbing her by the shoulders, "There was no way that you would have even considered talking to me, the pirate - the bad guy, remember?"

"You don't-" She tried to argue.

"No, I do know that! Do you really think that if I showed my face to the palace, asking the king and queen to borrow you to fight an allied kingdom, then they would let me?" He interrupted, "That bastard has _everyone_ convinced that he's their friend!"

"What do you- What do you mean?" Marinette asked shrilly, waving her hands in exasperation.

"Nice is far from the neutral country that you think it is," He explained, calming down as he heard the hitches in Marinette's throat, "He has been collecting an army for the past five or six years. He's been gathering them from different lands: Scandinavia, Ireland, Russia, even lands I had never even heard of before."

"But, that's against the law," She argued, "A country can't have an army without the approval of all twelve kings in the ally."

"I know," He sighed, "At first, I thought that he was maybe doing it for protection or something like that, but Kim, you know him, his father is Papillon's advisor, and he told me that Papillon is doing something much more sinister." Chat scratched the back of his neck, "Papillon... He wants to overthrow all twelve kingdoms and rule them all himself, and I'm pretty sure that privateer from Italy did not know about your situation without any assistance."

Marinette's eyes grew wide. "What?"

"He wants to kill you and your family, Marinette," He said straightly, "and all the other royal families, too. And, even though I am doing this for my own personal gain, this affects you, too, Your Highness."

Marinette felt herself numb. She took a deep breath, hitching slightly, and turned away from him to the wall. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were still flushed from her outburst, but she couldn't think about anything else other than what Chat had just revealed to her. She was in shock. It all seemed too unreal.

"Why should I believe you?" She asked in a low voice.

"...You shouldn't," He answered, "If I was you, I wouldn't believe me either."

She grumbled and crossed her arms. "I mean, what proof do you have?"

"I... I can show you," He answered hesitantly, "but we'll have to be extremely careful."

"What do you mean?"

"Papillon doesn't just keep his army in Nice. That would be too obvious," Chat explained, "He keeps them on another island not too far from here."

"How do you know about it?" She asked curiously.

"I came across it once when I went fishing with Plagg," He replied, "It's only thirty minutes east of here. I can show you, and you can see for yourself."

"Okay," She answered, "Right now sounds good."

"Sounds perfect, Princess."


	11. Chapter Ten (Part II)

**Across Oceans - Chapter Ten (Part II)**

By the time they reached the camp, night had fallen. Marinette spent the entire trip back collecting her thoughts, not really noticing how long and difficult the journey had become because of the combination of darkness and fatigue. Chat Noir's revelations seemed too unreal - too farfetched. It sounded like something she read from her old storybooks as a kid. Her world was being threatened, by an ally to her own country nonetheless. If Chat was telling the truth, she would have no choice but to help him on his quest to defeat Papillon. As much as she loved combat, she preferred doing it in a controlled environment where she knew no one would end up dead.

They took a quick break once they reached the villa. Tikki and Gorilla had prudently put together a small knapsack with different meats and cheeses for them. Chat was able to get the crewmen to prepare a small fishing boat they could use. Thankful to their comrades as they saw them off, Marinette and Chat began their expedition.

"Say that you are telling the truth; what exactly do you plan on doing once you face King Papillon?" She asked as she took a sandwich from the knapsack to eat.

"I don't know," Chat replied, using two oars to row the boat. His slightly long hair was tied up and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. Against the moonlight, Marinette thought that he truly looked like a black cat. "All I know is that one of us is going to end up dead."

Chills ran up Marinette's back, but she restrained herself from showing it. "I see."

Her eyes looked up at the giant natural satellite hanging above them like a spotlight. It was so much more extraordinarily large than she had ever seen it back in Paris. She could see every crevice and discoloration on its surface. Its luminescence was like a milky white flame against the darkness of the sky. She couldn't help but think that had she never been taken, she would never have been able to experience witnessing such beauty. She felt guilty for being happy for being kidnapped.

"What was the disagreement Papillon and your father had?" She asked, munching on her sandwich.

"It was all just politics. It drove them mad," He replied, his eyes shining up like gems as the glistened in the moonlight, "My father thought one thing and Papillon another."

"Is that why you hate royalty so much?" She asked.

"...I suppose."

"Princess Chloe," She said bravely, swallowing a lump in her throat (along with her sandwich), "She's your cousin, right? Are you like a duke or something?"

He paused. He stopped rowing, and for a moment, the two were just floating in the middle of the sea as an indignant expression curled on his face in his bemusement. "How did you know about Chloe?"

Marinette turned bright red. She forgot that he wasn't supposed to know about her knowledge of the princess' role in his life. "I, uh..." She took a deep breath. "I overheard you talking on the ship when we were in Normandy."

"How?" He asked, still puzzled, "We went to my quarters immediately."

"Um, don't blame anyone. It's my fault, but, um," She stumbled, "My door was open and I decided to... follow you."

Chat Noir's eyes grew wide but a look of puzzlement still etched on his face. "You... You were free? Why didn't you escape?"

"Well, by that time, I already knew that Chloe was your cousin, and she was supposed to be an ally," Marinette answered, "She knew I was onboard, and I was sure that she was being treasonous. I didn't know if it was safe for me to be in Normandy."

Chat rubbed the bottom half of his face with his hand. "I... She wasn't being treasonous. Her father knew nothing about you being onboard," He said, "My uncle doesn't even know that I'm still alive." He resumed rowing.

"But," She replied, "Chloe does?"

"Yes, she is the only relative I have left that knows of my existence," He answered, averting his gaze from her as he focused on rowing.

Marinette simmered into silence again. She finished off her sandwich, watching the veins on Chat's arms move as he rowed the oars on the fishing boat. He looked determined. No, not determined; preoccupied. He was obviously bothered by the information she had just revealed to him.

She fished through the knapsack again and offered a piece of meat to his mouth as he worked. He looked up at the food curiously and then to her. "What?"

"Eat. You haven't had anything to eat since this morning," She said, pushing the porsciutto to his slightly chapped lips.

He said nothing and took the meat gratuitously in his mouth. "Thank you," He said with a mouthful of food.

"Ew. Don't talk with your mouth full," She grimaced.

"Oh, I do so apologize, Your Highness," He responded, chewing even more obnoxiously as he rolled his eyes.

"Seriously," She mumbled, "This guy's supposed to be related to royalty?"

"Don't be so uptight, Princess Proper," He said, continuing on his rowing.

Marinette simply crossed her arms together and decided to observe the water around them. There were some bioluminescent marine life swimming below the surface, squirming through corals and sea plants. She could see that they water below them was pretty deep, and the idea of falling overboard scared her enough to gather towards the middle of the boat for security.

"Have you ever gotten lost when you were out at sea?" She asked.

"Once," He said, "I had obtained a map to a place called Atlantis. It was supposed to be west of Athens, but when we searched, it ended up being a false trail. We ended up in Nordic territory, and it took us weeks to get back."

"Maybe you were just looking at the map wrong," She suggested.

He snickered, "Highly unlikely. I am a pioneer of the sea. A sea connoisseur, if you would. I know everything there is to know about maps and seas. Atlantis isn't real."

"Perhaps your ego blinded your sight to the more obvious things," She rolled her eyes, "I'd like to take a peek at it when we get back. I'm sure you just read it wrong."

"Oh, you can try, definitely."

"Don't mock me," She said haughtily, "I'm supposed to represent wisdom, remember?"

"So, _now_ you believe me," He replied as he rolled his eyes.

"Can't deny facts, and facts say that I'm one smart cookie," She smiled approvingly at her sentiment.

The two continued on their way as the sound of the soft crashing of waves filled the air between them. There were stars, Marinette saw as she continued to munch on her sandwich. They weren't very luminous because of the moon's brightness, but they were definitely there. She could see her favorite constellations hanging above like they were painted on the darkness of the sky.

"I meant to ask," She said, "Why do you still wear your mask even when you're alone?"

He was silent for a few seconds, only allowing the sloshing of the water against the boat to fill the boat. He was taking so long that Marinette thought that perhaps he didn't hear her.

"...It's... It's because I have... scars, I suppose," He answered finally.

"Wow," She replied, "A mighty pirate humbled enough by a few scratches on his face."

His eyes looked up and leveled with her gaze like a cat prowling in the night for mice. She felt her body tense in fear that she had said something to offend him.

"Yes, I guess I am," He sighed.

"How'd you get it?" She asked, feeling nervous of his answer. What if she had brought on bad memories for him?

"I was fighting with Nino over a pair of skates when we were children," He said simply.

"That's it?" She asked, "I thought it would be from this incredible romantic tale of a swashbuckling pirate or a poor child trying to protect his mother."

"Nope. Just the skates," He chuckled.

"Then why? Are you that self-conscious of a scar from your childhood?" She mocked.

"Keeps me mysterious. Plus," He smirked, and Marinette swore his gaze had snapped something inside of her, "it gets ladies to talk to me needlessly."

"You hog!" She exclaimed, throwing a tomato at him, "I swear, do all men just think about sex all day? From the moment they wake up, do they think 'Oh, I might wear loose pantaloons today in case a wench wants to gi'm me a gum-root'in' and when they sleep 'Oh, I should put on me nice p'jamas just in case a nice lady breaks into me house and hands me a bit o' crumpet, yeah?'"

Chat stared at her as she mocked the accent that most of the men on the ship had. His eyes almost looked hollow. Then, they glazed over as if he wanted to say something, but he instead went back to rowing.

"Pretty much, yeah," He hummed flatly.

Marinette could only groan in response.

"We're here, by the way," He announced, getting out of the boat and pulling it to shore.

Chat helped her out of the boat and together they pushed it to a hiding spot between two big rocks. It was an incredible feat given that the moon was slowly dimming as late night clouds covered it.

"We have to be very quiet," Chat whispered.

"Don't you think I know that-" He covered her mouth with his palm.

"I'm serious. Don't go anywhere without me. Listen to what I say or you will die," He said in the most serious tone he could muster. She had no choice but to agree.

The two stalked through the dark forest warily like prey moving through the environment to remain unseen. The thickness of the leaves and the cloud growing in the sky made it increasingly difficult to see. The only way Marinette knew where she was going was by watching Chat's golden hair, which seemed to glow in the dark, bouncing in front of her as they walked.

"They live on the east side of the forest," He explained in order to distract her nervousness, "We landed on the south-east side. When you hear noises, that's when you know you need to stop moving."

"Okay," She whispered back.

They continued to walk until they heard a faint merriment of laughter. A soft, orange glow radiated through the trees, and Marinette felt her shoulders grow heavy at the realization that Chat Noir had been telling the truth. She gulped down her nervousness and followed Chat has he approached the camp, crouching down behind plants and bushes.

There were men. Big, burly men with huge arms and thick legs. They were laughing and joking with one another as they drank beer around a bonfire.

"Aye, lads," One of them started, "It won't be long be'fur the King will attack, I think."

"I kno'," Another piped up, "All he's got left to do is ta' take that skinny little daughter of his and kill all o' 'em."

"Oh, yes, that princess Lila," A third laughed in pure, intoxicated stupor, "What I would do to that tight little flange of hers."

"Oi, the King'll have yer' head if he hears ya' talkin' 'bout his daughter like that," The first man scolded, wacking the drunker man behind the head.

"He ain't here, now is he?"

The men exploded into boisterous laughter, raising their mugs and cheering for the jokes someone would occasionally say. It made Marinette sick to her stomach.

"Can we go home now?" She whispered, clenching her fists tightly.

She heard Chat shuffle next to her for a bit before grabbing her hand. "Follow me."

Drip. Drop. Downpour. The men roared into alarm as they quickly filed into the huge tents in their camp. Chat and Marinette raced through the rain, desperately trying not to get too wet, however failing to do so because of the thickness of the precipitation accompanied by the darkness of the forest. The echoing glow of the soldiers' fire was slowly disappearing the further they ran opposite of the camp. Their heavy steps splashed against the wet ground and splattered all over their clothes. Raindrops started entering Marinette's eyes, making it even harder for her to move. She was solely guided through the night by Chat's hand tugging her along.

Then, it stopped. Marinette opened her eyes. They were inside a small cavern created by the huge roots of an enormous tree. Chat had let go of her hand and was crouched at the center of the space, trying to start a fire. She wrung her hair out and tried to make herself dry as much as she could in the humid storm festering outside their shelter.

"That came outta nowhere," She stated.

"It happens. We're in the tropical regions," He answered, successfully able to ignite a flame.

Finally, Marinette breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of the fire. She felt gross with mud all over her trousers and her hair sticking to her neck. Her cheeks felt cold and the socks in her boots were drenched in rainwater. She turned to Chat and noticed that he was gawking.

"What?" She asked, taking her boots off.

"Nothing," He said, returning his attention back to the fire.

"No, seriously," She said, "What is it?"

"It's nothing."

"Oh, there goes that passive-aggressiveness you always have to have," She nagged, rolling her eyes.

"Here we go," Chat groaned.

"There isn't a time when Mr. Smooth and Suave can't just say what he really means. There always needs to be some sort of mystery. Some sort of suspense to everything he does."

"Oh, shut up."

"No, no, no," She retorted, wringing her socks out, "You always have to speak in code all the time. It's like talking to the Sphinx!"

As Marinette continued to babble on, she failed to realize that Chat's gaze was growing increasingly impatient with her. Impatient and closer to her. She could barely process it when she felt extra weight on her torso, realizing that Chat had taken off his black shirt and had draped it over her shoulders.

"For someone who's supposedly very wise, you are apparently very dense," He stated simply before going back to tend to the fire.

Marinette turned bright red as she realized that her white cotton blouse had been soaked see-through and the undershirt she had been wearing in lieu of proper underwear had been sticking out like a sore thumb. She flushed further when she saw the bare back of her companion glowing against the light from the flame he seemed to be overly-fixated with. His trousers hung dangerously low, and the curves and lines on his body looked impossibly life-threatening.

"You-you should be decent around a lady, you know," She argued, trying to save face.

"You're one to talk," He laughed.

"I-I- Ouch!" She winced, kneeling down into the ground.

Immediately, Chat dropped what he was doing and raced to her. He grabbed the black shirt with the intent of taking it off, causing the princess' eyes to widen in alarm and for her hands to jerk it securely around herself.

"What are you doing?" She questioned.

"I'm trying to see what's wrong with you, genius," He answered sarcastically as he forcibly stripped her down to her bare body. She quickly grabbed the soiled clothes to cover her front.

Marinette felt heat rush to her cheeks as she realized that he was staring at her half-naked. The fact that he, too, was scantily clad made her even more embarrassed.

Suddenly, she felt his cold fingers brush against her skin, causing her to flinch. He inched his face closer to her body, and she could feel the warmth of his breath. He traced his finger from the top of her shoulder across to the small of her back. He was examining her wound.

"How is it?" She gulped down, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"It reopened a little," He sighed disappointedly, "Hold on. I'll look around the area for some herbs."

"But, there's a storm outside," She said.

"A little rain didn't hurt anyone," He smiled reassuringly. Marinette thought it was strange coming from a man who based his identity on a hydrophobic mammal.

He left their shelter, and Marinette was left alone, half-naked, cold, and desperately needing of a shower. She distracted herself with the cackle of the fire and the shush of the rain. She wondered what her family was doing. She wondered what Tikki and everyone was doing. She wondered how surreal her situation was. There were so many things that happened that seemed too farfetched to be real. So many things to absorb. Her head started hurting, so she shook her thoughts away. She'll deal with it a better time.

"I'm back," Chat announced, raising up two unfamiliar stalks of some plant in his hand.

Self-aware once more, Marinette secured the cloth over her chest. "What is it?"

"It's a plant called Agalaba," He answered as he knelt down in front of her wound, picking off some leaves, "It's a plant that supposedly heals everything."

"What? That's silly," She laughed, "There's no such plant."

"Well, there's a myth surrounding this plant," He replied, chewing on the leaves, "The Atlantians-"

"The ones from that lost city?" She asked, grimacing as she felt Chat rub the chewed up leaves on her wound.

"Yes," He said, "The Atlantians received this plant from the god Poseidon after they assisted him in defeating the evil goddess Eris from destroying the seven seas. It can supposedly live in any conditions; wet, dry, up in the air, under the sea. It can grow anywhere and heal everything."

"But that's just a story right?" She hummed, feeling calmer as she felt the soothing effects of the plant.

"Yeah. The truth is, all we know about it is that it can stop bleeding," Chat stated as he stood up to return tending to the fire. "You can put your clothes back on."

"Don't look," She threatened.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Those men we saw," She started, putting on the second layer of clothing she had, "They didn't look like they were from around here."

"'Cause they're not," He answered, "Papillon collects them from the Nordic lands. People from there are known to be brutes and savages. They could probably crush your head with one hand."

Marinette insecurely grabbed her neck, putting on Chat's shirt and sitting next to him around the fire.

"Sounds terrifying."

"They are."

Quiet. The howling of the wind started to blow into their shelter and made the fire dance. It reminded Marinette of her cousin Androgena when she was the Sun Maiden years ago. She felt like she was missing parts about that day, but she shrugged it off. It was years ago. It shouldn't matter now.

"Thank you," Chat mumbled almost inaudibly.

"What?" Marinette asked amusedly.

"I said, 'Thank you,'" He repeated poutingly as he averted his gaze away from her.

"For what?" She chuckled.

"For taking that hit for me. Though, you really shouldn't have, you stupid, stupid girl," He said, shaking his head.

"So, is this like your first time expressing gratitude?" She asked sardonically as she rolled her eyes.

"Actually, yes," He said as a matter of fact.

"Oh, please."

"I'm usually the one being thanked."

"Oh, yes, all the great things you've done for humanity, you truly are a great person!" Marinette patronized mockingly.

"Finally! Took you long enough to realize," He replied haughtily.

Marinette rolled her eyes and playfully shoved his shoulder. Fatigue started to creep up on her, and she soon felt her eyes grow sleepier.

"Don't go all _cat_ -atonic on me tonight just cause you don't have a shirt," She yawned, using her hand to support her increasingly weighing head.

"Of course not, _Purr_ -incess."


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Across Oceans - Chapter Eleven**

Itch. It was really itchy. She slapped her hand. Now, it was itchy on her other arm. She slapped her arm. No itch. She curled up into a fold in her pillow warmly. Itch again; this time, on her neck. Her eyes fluttered open in irritation. She blinked them clear and saw tan. Like a really light shade of leather. Did she fall asleep on a cow? Backing away slightly from the cow-creature-thing to identify it, she felt smoke rise out of her ears. She was cuddled up against Chat Noir's bare torso. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, and their legs were intertwined together. How on Earth did this happen?

Pushing him off roughly, she resisted the urge to squeal in embarrassment. He started to stir awake but promptly returned back to sleep. She slapped her cheeks, angry at herself for _literally_ sleeping with her enemy. She remembered distinctly sleeping all the way over on the other side of the tree. She remembered using a stick to separate the cave in half as to set boundaries. She even remembered half-teasing, half-threatening that if he were to cross the boundary, she would make him sleep outside into the rain (Or was it a dream? ...). Now, for some odd reason, she was over on his side.

She shook her head. This must be his fault somehow. He's the one that can't control himself! ...But, she really couldn't deny how absolutely _comfortable_ she felt in her arms. Groaning loudly into her hands in irritation, she heard Chat rustle behind her.

"...Princess?" He asked groggily, still lying down on the floor with his eyes glued shut.

"What?" She asked crossly, refusing to look at him.

"What time is it?" He mumbled in his half-woken state.

"I don't know! You're the one with the watch," She answered, still refusing to turn to him, her cheeks still flushed from her awkwardness.

It seemed that in his grogginess, he didn't want to argue with her. "Right."

She could hear him get up from behind her and checking his pocketwatch with the familiar clicks and snaps. She gulped down her nervousness. Her heart was racing way too fast.

"We should head back. It's about six o'clock now. It's better to leave when the men are still unaware," He announced yawningly.

"Whatever," She replied shortly, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Hey," He called, "What's the matter with you? Did the monster of the month arrive last night or something?"

Marinette turned bright pink, took her shoe, and chucked it at him. "Rude!"

He started to laugh at her response. "There it is."

"You're not funny," She huffed.

"Well, whatever the case," He said as he reached out his hand towards her, "May I have my shirt back, Your Highness?"

Immediately, Marinette shoved off the black shirt and threw it at him in panic as if it were some animal crawling on her. "Take it!"

He chuckled. "I guess it really is that time of the month."

She groaned irritatedly. "Stop talking and let's go. This forest is making me itch like hell."

"As you wish, Highness," Chat replied sarcastically as he grabbed all their stuff.

The two walked through the forest quietly. Marinette had calmed down from the traumatising memory of Chat's sleeping face. And the feeling of his hands around her. Or the way his legs trapped hers. Or even how he smelled like oranges for some reason. Nope, she forgot all about it. Without a doubt, she was not some sickeningly love-struck maiden. Not gonna happen. Nope. Not with anyone. Not with Chat Noir.

They reached the beach and immediately panicked as they realize that they were not alone. A rather scrawny-looking boy was investigating their boat which was hidden behind some large rocks. They hid beneath the shrubbery.

"You are so stupid!" Marinette groaned, hitting his shoulder as quietly as she could, "Why would you just put it out there in the open?"

"It was dark! I thought it would be a good spot!" He retorted in a low whisper.

The young man continued to study the contents of the boat (which was, fortunately, mostly empty except for a piece of rope for docking and a couple of empty sacks). Marinette could feel herself get nervous as the soldier slowly started to depart from the boat's proximity.

"We need to fight him," Chat said.

"What? No!" She replied, "Do you actually want to die?"

"He knows we're here. This island is supposed to be unknown. If he tells the rest of the troop that someone's here, they're going to send out a search crew, and I guarantee you that they will find Athens and kill everyone," He reasoned seriously.

Marinette gulped. He was right. She started to get up, but his hand held her back down.

"Stay here," He said as he shook his head, "I'm going to fight him."

"Are you kidding-" She couldn't finish her sentence because he was already charging to the man. "What an idiot!"

She opened up her knapsack to find anything she could use to fight with. The only thing large enough was a tube of salami. It should do fine, she decided. Better that than nothing. She followed after Chat Noir, who was already beating the larger man with a coconut. Marinette joined him into pushing the soldier into unconsciousness.

"Oh my goodness! Is he dead?" The princess asked worriedly after receiving no response from her opponent.

"Hm," Chat waved his hand over the soldier's nose, "He's alive. Help me carry him onto the boat. We can't just leave him here."

"This is ridiculous, Chat," Marinette complained but did as she was told nonetheless, "We just beat this man into fainting with a coconut and salami!"

"Tell me about it," He laughed, rolling the man onto the boat.

The princess and the pirate pushed the boat into the water together from its hiding spot. It took a while, but they were successfully able to do so before the sun rose too high. He was a tedious lump of flesh, and it took all of their will power not to just leave him on the sand like a beached whale.

Marinette grabbed one oar and decided to help Chat paddle. The boat was considerably heavier, and she knew that without her help, Chat would die of exhaustion; especially with the heat coming in as the sun rose.

"So, what do you suggest we do with him once we get back?" Marinette asked.

"Well, we could do two things," Chat answered, "We can one: convince him to switch sides, or two: keep him as a prisoner. Or y'know," He used his index finger and sliced it across his neck.

"We are _not_ killing him," She insisted, "Do you think you can really convince him to join us?"

"I don't know. I've never really recruited before. It's always them that asks me if they can join my ship," He replied, "If he says no, then he can be a prisoner until Papillon is finished and done with."

"Just don't hurt him. He hasn't really done anything wrong," She mumbled, rowing through the water.

"Of course, Princess." Marinette wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic.

As they approached Athens, Marinette prepared her things and the bulky man sleeping by her feet. He looked all bruised and bloody, but nothing too serious. Inspecting his face closer, she began to feel pieces in her head play with each other. Did she know him from somewhere? He looked oddly familiar to her somehow. But where?

"What's your plan for when his comrades realize he's missing?" She asked, snapping away from her thoughts.

"Uh..."

"You stupid, stupid boy," She tutted as she shook her head in disapproval.

"It's not going to be a problem. It's not like they know where Athens is," He argued.

"Hey, just to remind you," She said as she raised her eyebrow, "Athens is only thirty minutes away from there. I can literally see it from here. They will attack once they realize one of their own is missing."

"We'll... We'll deal with that when we get there," He dismissed.

"How are you still alive?" She sighed.

Some crewmen approached the boat as it began to dock. Chat ordered them to take the prisoner to the same man who healed her. Marinette sighed exhaustedly as she finally felt the comforts of Athens' sand. She threw the knapsack over her shoulder and trudged to the villa.

"Hey! Where're you going?" Chat called for her.

"Away from you," She answered simply.

"I thought we were gonna go see the guy," He exasperatedly complained to her distancing figure.

"You can do that," She yelled back as she climbed up the front stairs, "It was your _very_ imbecilic idea to take him here. You deal with it!"

Marinette trudged on into her room and threw her stuff on her bed. She peeled off her dirty clothes and ran to the bathroom. She desperately needed a very long, very bubbly bath.

* * *

Marinette looked up from her work as she heard a knock on her door. Setting the needle and silk down on her lap, she told the person to come in. It was Tikki. She was holding a tray of milk and cookies with a smile on her face.

"Hey, I thought you might want some refreshments after such a long trip," the older woman said as she swung the door closed with her foot.

"Oh, thank God," Marinette exclaimed, setting her sewing aside to approach the food, immediately scarfing down the treats, "I was starving to death!"

"How was it? Did you find what you were looking for?" Tikki asked patiently.

"I'ff wa'ff fi'me," Marinette replied with a mouthful of food, "How'ff a' pri'ffoner?"

Tikki struggled to understand what the princess was saying, but she got there eventually. "He's alright. Chat and Plagg are down there questioning him right now."

"Are they hurting him?" Marinette asked as she gulped down the cookies, "I swear if Chat Noir did anything to that innocent boy..."

"No," Tikki shook her head, "At least, I don't think so. Unless the prisoner attacks, I don't see why they would."

Marinette was not satisfied by this answer but pushed it to the back of her mind. She continued eating the cookies and resumed her sewing project. Tikki sat next to her by her bay window as she stitched.

"What are you making?" Tikki asked, "I'm glad you're finally making use of the cloth I got from Normandy."

"It's my disguise," the princess grinned widely.

"Disguise? For what?"

"I... I plan to join Chat Noir in fighting King Hawkmoth in a few months," Marinette revealed, averting her gaze to the cloth.

Tikki's eyes grew wide. "What? Does Chat Noir know about this?"

"I would hope so," Marinette replied, a frown lacing her lips, "I can fight just as well as he can. Besides, I don't need his permission to do anything."

"I don't doubt that," the older woman sighed, "It's just... the prophecy... well, I suppose you _can_ fight just as well as he can. What are you planning on?"

"A ladybug." Marinette raised up the pattern she had so far. "You know, to counteract the whole 'bad luck black cat' thing."

"Cute," Tikki smiled, "Do you need some help?"

"Nah, I think I got it," Marinette responded as she continued her work.

"Okay then," Tikki said as she got up to leave the room, "I'll leave you to it."

Before closing the door, Tikki took one last look at Marinette. "I'm glad you're not against us anymore, Marinette."

Marinette kept her lips pursed. There was no way she could tell Tikki about her doubts.

* * *

That night, Marinette woke up right before the crack of dawn. She sneaked into the kitchen, grabbed some food and water (knocking a few pots and pans in the process), and tiptoed her way to the dungeons in the basement. That's where she knew Chat was keeping the prisoner from Hawkmoth's island. Being that it was dark, she had even more trouble maneuvering through and being quiet all the way to the stairs leading to the basement.

She was glad that the house was insanely large. Otherwise, everyone would have woken up by now.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the dark and gloomy jail and lit some torches up, making her way down to the cage. She saw him. He was still beaten and badly hurt, but at least now he was bandaged. His black hair was hiding his eyes, but Marinette knew that he was completely awake. He was fiddling nervously with his fingers.

"Hello," Marinette greeted shyly.

The prisoner looked up alarmingly at the sound of her voice. "Who are you?"

"I'm Marinette," she introduced herself with a soft smile as she approached his bars cautiously.

"Marinette... Princess Marinette?" He asked, squinting his eyes through the darkness.

"Mhm," She hummed, sitting down in front of the bars.

"What are you doing here, Princess? Don't you know everyone's been looking for you for months now?" He asked anxiously, turning his complete attention to her.

She felt her breathing hitch. "Yes, I know. I've been... doing some work that needs to be done before I can go home."

The prisoner seemed to feel a little bit more at ease in her presence and approached the metal bars in front of her, sitting down cross-legged. "You seem troubled, Your Highness."

"You're telling me," she said as she stifled a giggle, "you're the one in a jail cell all bruised and stuff." She felt guilt strike her chest. "I'm really sorry about that by the way. I never thought salami would do that much damage."

"It's okay, Princess," he assured with a slight lilt in his voice, "I understand. I can deal with physical pain. It fades. But, you," he said, staring into her eyes, and Marinette felt a chill run down her spine, "your pain seems to go a bit deeper than mine. Would you like to talk about it?"

"It's nothing," She mumbled dismissively.

"Whatever floats your boat," he grinned, "I'm assuming it has something to do with your captors? Or I suppose they're your friends now?"

Her eyes grew wide. "How did-?"

"Trust me, it's not that hard to figure out the dynamics of this place," he smiled, and Marinette felt her heart race at his casualness. It's as if she had not just admitted to completely betrayed her kingdom and all its allies.

Marinette locked her bright blue irises onto his and felt the urge to come closer to him. She felt him familiar to her somehow. She reached through the bars, cupping his bruised cheek onto her palm, and all he did was smile knowingly at her. She pulled his swollen face close to hers and hovered her lips above his. Something about this boy...

And then they made contact. Short and sweet. Marinette had kissed him.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Nah, just messin' with ya'. April fools lmaooo. :))**

* * *

Marinette locked her blue irises onto his and felt a strange connection to this boy. She felt like she knew who he was. She felt him familiar to her somehow. She knew. She knew. She knew. But from where? How she wished his face wasn't as swollen as it was. It would have been so much easier to recognize a familiar face that way.

"Do I know you?" She asked candidly in suspicion. He seemed to take delight in her question.

"My name is Lu-"

"Princess?" A voice called from the top of the stairs. It was Kim. Both teenagers felt the hairs on their neck jolt up in surprise.

"Oh, uh, yes?" Marinette shuffled back onto her feet.

"Princess, you should be in bed. Is everything alright?" Kim asked with a yawn.

"Yes, Kim. I'm alright. I was just making sure that... um, that the prisoner was okay," She replied, quickly strutting back up to the top of the staircase, silently sliding the snacks she had taken earlier than through the bars.

"Oh, cool," Kim yawned again uncaringly as he returned back outside.

Who was this boy? Who was this boy? Who was this boy! It was frustrating the hell out of her. It was like being asked a question and not knowing the name of it yet feeling it at the tip of the tongue. She knew she knew him. She knew he was someone important. But why, for the life of her, couldn't she place him anywhere?

Marinette shot the prisoner one last look and felt a strange sensation of both fear and comfort as he smiled calmly up at her, cookie in mouth, waving his hand friendly as if he just heard everything in her head.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Across Oceans - Chapter Twelve**

Marinette chewed her lip as she glared down at the floor. She could feel him watching her - _judging_ her. He didn't outwardly state it, but she knew he was thinking it. He was calculating her every move and thinking about how completely unfaithful and treasonous she was. She couldn't blame him. From an outside perspective, she really was being foolish.

"Are you going to say something, Princess? Or are you just going to sit in front of me like that while I eat?" The prisoner asked her amusedly. She could practically hear the grin on his face.

This made heat rush in her cheeks. "No, I'm just... thinking."

"What of?" He asked, taking a spoonful of some stew.

"You never told me if we knew each other," She said, drawing circles on the floor with her finger, "Do we?"

He swallowed his food. "Yes, we do. At least, I know you."

Her eyes grew in surprise as she shot her attention to him. "How?"

He smiled crookedly at her and sat up straight. "My name is Luka of the House of Couffaine," He said, "You know me better as the young man you _really_ don't want to marry."

Her mind went blank. Who was he? She had no idea what he was talking about. She knew, however, what the House of Couffaine was. They were a house of nobles that were very close to the royal families of the Allied Kingdoms. She even went to school with the youngest daughter, Juleka, before diplomatic work forced her to take private lessons instead of institutional. She had never heard of this boy before.

Luka seemed to take notice of her blank expression and chuckled as he flicked a piece of meat at her face. "Glad I made an impression on you, Princess. You turned me down on your birthday. Had to say it kind of hurts that you can't remember me at all."

She felt her entire body grow stiff and warm. "That was you?!"

"Unfortunately so," He replied.

"Oh my goodness," She stammered in her embarrassment, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you in any way. I just didn't want to - well, I still don't want to- but, well, I just kind of-"

"It's okay, Princess," He interrupted coyly, "I understand."

"I'm really sorry, Luka," She mumbled sheepishly, face red and heated, "it's not you. It's me."

"And now you're rejecting me again?" Luka chuckled, "You're breaking my heart, Princess."

Her eyes grew wide in further embarrassment, making her hunch over more. Luka noticed this and felt bad for making the joke.

"Come on, Princess. I was just kidding. I really don't care," He insisted, "That kind of thing happens a lot in our society."

Marinette felt loads off her shoulders and smiled small at him. "Okay."

"Why don't you tell me what's been going on with you?" He asked, changing the subject as he set his now-empty dinner tray to the side. Marinette cringed as she realized that he had been given Gorilla's nasty cheese stew.

"I..." She hesitated. Could she trust him? "I... Why don't you tell me how Paris is first? How are my parents? The people?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question," He said sadly, "I've been at Hawk Island since the day you disappeared. How they are is as good of a guess to me as it is to you."

"But... why?" She asked bemusedly, "why were you at Hawk Island, Luka?"

Luka seemed to struggle with himself on how to answer her question. "I can't say. Just know that... I'm on your side, Princess."

"My side?" She scrunched up her eyebrows in deep thought. Did Luka know what was going on? "Which side?"

"The Allied Kingdoms, of course." She felt like a deflated balloon.

"Oh," She let out disappointedly, "Yeah. Right. Of course, yes..."

"Are you not satisfied with my answer, Princess?" He asked, a slight tease in his voice and a knowing glint in his eyes.

"No," She lied, "No, of course I am, Luka."

"Hm," He hummed, shifting his body to give straight attention to her, "Why don't you tell me about everything that's happened since you've been gone?"

Marinette took a deep breath.

* * *

"Princess," Chat called melodically as if he were singing a song.

Marinette continued to stare absent-mindedly at the paneling on the wall, deaf to Chat's calls for her attention.

"Princess," He said again in a lyrical tone as he waved his hand over her face, "Are you there?"

"Hm?" Marinette hummed, snapping back to reality, "What is it?"

"You've been staring at that wall for ten minutes now," He laughed, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." She dismissed, "I thought we were going to spar."

"Well, we were, but you're too busy undressing the wall."

"Oh, hush," She grunted as she flicked the middle of his forehead, "Can we just start?"

" _Meow_ -ch!" He overreacted, nursing the target of injury, "Such a violent princess."

"Marinette, remember not to overexert yourself!" Alya called from the sidelines, "Your wound might reopen!"

"Oh, yeah," Chat suddenly stopped moving and crossed his arms, "I forgot about that. We're not sparring with you in that condition."

"What?" Marinette asked angrily, "Don't treat me like some fragile thing. I can beat you up without even breaking a sweat. And you already agreed so don't take it back."

"Sure you can," Chat mocked, "Sorry, Your Highness, but I'm not sparring with an injured little girl."

"'Little girl,' my ass!" She exclaimed, charging towards him with her sword.

Chat saw this coming and simply stepped away to the side, letting her lose balance and fall face-first into the sand. Oh, how murderous she felt at the moment. Alya had quickly rushed to her side and checked on her injury.

"How does that not constitute to making my wound reopen?" She snarled, swatting a piece of hair that had wandered over her face.

"Seriously, what is up with you?" Chat sighed, scratching the back of his neck, "One minute, you're fine while you stare at a wall; I don't even know. The next, you want to kill me. Did something happen?"

"He's right," Alya added, "You've been kinda' off. Did you guys really get to see what you were trying to find on Hawk Island?"

"Yeah," Marinette muttered sarcastically, "We sure did."

"In any case, why don't you go to your room and I'll catch up with you? I just need to talk to Chat real quick about some stuff," Alya suggested, helping Marinette up to her feet.

"Yeah, sure," The princess conceded, shooting the pirate captain a stabbing glare.

Suppose, once upon a time, she really had felt as if she belonged here, but now, all she wanted to do is hide under her covers and disappear forever.

* * *

Knock. Knock.

"Come in," Marinette called miserably from under her covers.

The door cracked open, revealing Alya who had a soft smile on her face. Marinette peeked through a small hole she folded in her blanket, showing the redhead the depressed pout on her lips.

"Hey," Alya greeted as she sat on the foot of the bed, "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

Marinette mustered a small moan before retreating back into the sheets. She felt Alya's hand stroke herhead gently as if she were a small puppy.

"Alya, have you ever felt as if you're not supposed to be where you are?" Marinette muffled into her mattress.

"Hm," Alya hummed as she crossed her legs in thought, "I suppose. There was one time I accidentally went inside the men's bathhouse."

"No," The princess groaned as she stuck her head out of the covers, "I mean, I don't belong... _anywhere_ , really."

Alya suddenly had a stike of worry across her face. "Are you still having doubts? Because if that's the case then I'm sure we can show you more things to-"

"No, that's not necessary," Marinette sulked as she sat up on the bed, "It's nothing. Forget it."

"Marinette..." Alya sighed hopelessly, "Alright, fine. I'm not Alya, pirate of the notorious ship Black Skeleton."

"What are you talking about, Alya? Don't be silly," Marinette scrunched her face in puzzlement.

"No, I'm not Alya. I'm... Bernice, a wise old sage from the mountains of Nepal. Bernice won't judge you. Tell Bernice everything," Alya smiled.

"Alya-"

"-uh, Bernice."

"Bernice," Marinette laughed, feeling heavily in her chest, "I'm seriously okay. I'm just going through some inner conflict right now."

Alya hummed, a stoic expression on her face to mimic that of an elderly person's. Marinette giggled at this but found that she couldn't help but feel the heavy stones weighing on her chest.

"I... I found out that my home isn't what I thought it to be," She mumbled, rubbing her elbow, "and I feel like I've been gone too long that I don't belong there anymore, but at the same time, I haven't been here long enough to really be part of it. I just... All I want is to have everything be okay again. I want to not have to think about people's intentions when I think about it."

"Oh, Marinette..." Alya said almost painfully.

"I know that Hawk Moth is bad. I know that he wants to hurt my people. I know that he wants to kill me. I saw it with my own eyes, but a part of me wishes that wasn't the case. I just... Why can't things be the way they were?" Marinette sulked as she hugged a pillow close to her chest.

"I'm sorry," Alya consoled, "I'm not quite sure what to say because I've never been in your position but," she placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder, "I'll always be here even if you think I'm someone on the outside."

"Thanks, Alya," The princess sighed gratuitously, although she knew that she would need to sort out through her feelings some more. "I think I'm going to nap a little and then I'll try and finish off the letter to my parents."

"Sounds good," Alya concurred, getting up from her seat to leave the room, "sweet dreams, Princess."

"Yeah, I'll see you," Marinette said simply, hiding under her covers.

* * *

Chat Noir was a reasonable man.

Or, at least, he thought so. He knew he could be kind of a prat sometimes, but for the most part he made good decisions that ultimately worked out in the end. For example, he was the one that came up with the idea of kidnapping Marinette. He got a lot of backlash from most of the crew, but in the end, they still got what they wanted didn't they? Heck, the princess had even started to become a part of the ship.

He pursed his lips. Although... something had changed over the past few days. He suspected it had something to do with the prisoner they captured from Hawk Island. For one, she had asked to be the one to give him his meals and to question him about what the current intentions of the Allied Kingdoms were. She spent about an hour or two just sitting with the prisoner and talking to him, then she would come out, looking more and more miserable every time she left the cell.

The thought that some bastard was making her feel this way made him feel angry. He did not like the current arrangement. Not one bit. He did not like that Marinette was in a closed space with the prisoner for that amount of time. He did not like that she had begun to look so sad after only beginning to look so happy. He did not like that he didn't know anything about her right now. That thought was the one that caused him so much distress.

His feelings had begun to change, that he knew he was quite sure of. To what exactly, he wasn't quite sure. He didn't know exactly how or when, but he wasn't dense enough not to realize that the spitfire that was the princess had slowly wormed her way into her heart and made him feel all sorts of emotions he didn't think he would ever feel.

He loved her expressions when they argued. He loved the way she tucked her ear back. He loved the way it felt when she slept in his arms.

That thought made his mind race towards their night in the tree cave. She had been so clueless. She could spout insults and retorts left and right, but she couldn't even realize her bareness in front of him. She even drew a line between them so he wouldn't touch her. In the end, she had shuffled enough in her sleep to have made her way subconsciously towards him. He liked to think that he didn't really have a choice but to swoop her in his arms and just felt her the entire time. He didn't sleep that night, contrary to what she might have thought.

And now, he clenched his fists, this bastard from the Kingdoms was making her turn away from him and Alya and Tikki and everyone he knew that she had begun to love over the course of months in her time with them.

That settled it. He was going to take care of this once and for all.

"Wake up," He commanded, clashing a metal mug against the metal bars to make loud noises. The prisoner shuffled to consciousness, looking indifferent and stoic as every other time Chat had come to see him.

"What do you want?" The prisoner yawned.

"I want to know what you've been saying to the princess," Chat seethed through grit teeth.

"Why don't you ask her?" The grimy bastard replied haughtily.

"Don't be snide with me, asshole!" Chat threatened as he grabbed the prisoner's collar through the metal bars. "I could kill you right now if I wanted!"

"Yes, but you're not going to," a slimy smirk spread on the prisoner's face.

"The fuck I won't!" Chat glowered with wide eyes as he tightened his grip on the man.

"I've been watching you, mighty Chat Noir," The prisoner said flatly, "For years now. You haven't killed anybody in at least three years. You look younger, too, so it's either you've found the Fountain of Youth, or you are not the original pirate." He whispered, "A copycat."

Chat let the pun fly over his head as he loosened his hand on the man. "Who... who are you?"

"Me?" The bastard gawfed, "I'm simply a humble servant to the Alliance, sir. I'm only here to keep my lords and my country safe."

"Then you know that Hawk Moth is not a good king," Chat said, dumping his companion.

"Yes, I do," He replied. This surprised Chat. He was expecting the bastard to be blindly following Hawk Moth's orders. The fact that he wasn't all bad made Chat's blood boil.

"Why were you at Hawk Island then?"

"It doesn't concern scum like you." Chat banged his best against a wooden table, but the prisoner did not flinch. This was always his reply to everything that Chat had asked concerning his intentions.

"Do not be snide with me, boy!"

"Boy?" He laughed, "if anything, you seem to be much younger than me with how immaturely you're acting."

Chat was overcome with the murderous feeling just to watch this scum submit to him. He wanted the Allied bastard to fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness. He wanted that piece of shit bastard to concede to him. With all these thoughts going through his head, Chat did something that was unthinkable.

The bastard's eyes grew wide as he watched the pirate's actions. His jaw slacked and, soon enough, his mouth hung wide open in shock, and Chat couldn't help but feel pride that he had made the arrogant son of a bitch quiet.

"Y-you-" The prisoner stuttered, pointing a shaky finger at him.

"Yes, I am," Chat smirked. He had won. The reality of how he had done it hadn't quite sunk in yet, but for now he was going to revel in this feeling of pride.

"But... how?" The captive man asked bemusedly, "You're supposed to be dead!"

At that moment, the pirate reflexively rubbed the corner of his eye, expecting to feel the familiar feeling of alligator leather on his fingertips, but felt his stomach sink at the realization of what he had actually done. Chat Noir had done it. Chat Noir had become too careless.

Chat Noir had taken off his mask.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Across Oceans - Chapter Thirteen**

Marinette sighed hopelessly as her eyes traced the irregular shapes on her ceiling. She remembered a time when she was young when all she did for hours on end was watch the irregular shapes on her bedroom ceiling, trying to form patterns and shapes where there were none. Now, those days seem so far away that it almost felt as if it were another person's memories.

Groaning as she smothered her face into her pillow, she heard a knock on the door. Half-heartedly uttering a 'come in,' she heard the door click.

"Princess," she heard Chat's voice. Almost immediately, she felt her stomach twist into knots.

"Yes?" she sighed.

She didn't receive a verbal response, however, merely feeling a weight on the foot of her bed. Peeking through the sheet, she pursed her lips in anticipation of whatever the pirate had to say.

"I... uh..." he started sheepishly, "I don't-I'm not really sure what you're going through right now, so I'm not really sure what to say. But," he leaned towards her, "I'm willing to wait for as long as you want. I just... I just want you to know that I trust you, you know? I know you'll feel better, because you always bounce back, don't you? It's just really blurry right now what's going on, and I understand that." He scratched the top of his head. "And I know that it might have something to do with that prisoner and how he's from your kingdom and all of that, but you know that what I told you was true, right? You didn't change your mind, right? 'Cause I don't know how I-"

"Chat, you're rambling," she said with a soft smile gracing her lips.

"Oh, am I? I guess I am," he said as he flushed.

Marinette sat up on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. "Don't worry, kitty," she said softly, "it's not anything you can do about. There's just something I have to figure out on my own."

Chat Noir was quiet for a while and stared poignantly at his feet with a deep look of thought. Marinette wondered what he was thinking about.

"...Luka," he said, "the prisoner. He wants to talk to you. Please go see him."

"O-Okay...?" she responded bemusedly.

Chat Noir shot her a small smile that she couldn't help but feel that it wasn't wholly there. She tried to mirror his action with a cheerful one of her own. He patted her blanket and got up to leave the room. "I... I'm really glad you're here, Marinette."

"Thanks, Chat."

* * *

"Your Highness," Luka greeted with a bow as Marinette clicked the door to his cell shut.

"Hey," she greeted back, "you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah... I, uh," he stumbled. This caused the young princess to cock her eyebrow in suspicion. First, Chat. Now, Luka. What was going on? Why did it feel like there was something she should know? "I wanted - I wanted to say that the, um - that I - well, actually, Chat Noir and I - well, we agreed mutually," he shook his head slightly as if he himself was convincing himself of his sureness, "that whatever he says, we - as in, you and me - should follow what he says. He - He knows what's best, Princess."

Marinette's eyes turned into narrow slits, and a crease spawned in between her eyebrows. "What's this about?"

Luka looked worried - as if he had just comitted an atrocity - but he lout out a deep breath and said finally, "I was a spy on Hawk Island."

"What?" Marinette asked as her eyes grew into saucers.

"The king, your father, wanted me to go to Hawk Island to keep an eye on things," he continued, "He knew that Hawk Moth was no good." Luka shook his head. "I was there to make sure that things didn't get out of hand."

"My father," she gulped, "my father knew about Hawk Moth?"

Luka nodded his head. "I'm sorry I never told you."

Marinette surprised at the information was silent for a few seconds, letting the information sink in. Suddenly, it felt as if a stone weighing in her stomach had disappeared. Laughter bubbled in her throat until finally she burst out laughing.

"Of course, he knew!" she exclaimed through her giggles.

Luka watched the princess curiously wondering what had gotten into her.

"I'm so..." a minute tear of laughter rolled down her cheek, immediately being followed by a plethora of drops, "I'm so happy."

"Princess, are you okay?" Luka asked worriedly.

"I'm perfect," Marinette replied, calming slightly.

They sat in silence until Marinette's eyes grew large in realization. "Then what are you still doing here? We need to get you back to Hawk Island! Oh dear!" She got to her feet. "I have to tell Chat Noir immediately!"

"Princess-"

"Nope," she grinned, "I've made up my mind, Luka dear."

She sped to the door, opening it, feeling surprised as she felt a slight force push back. Blinking, she saw Chat Noir knocked on the ground.

"Were you listening in on our conversation, kitty?" she asked.

It was hard to see with his mask, but Marinette could see pink dust his cheeks. She smiled wider.

"That's fine," she assured, "that means that you know what we have to do. We have to bring back Luka to Hawk Island."

"What?" he said incredulously, "No."

A small frown crept on her lips. "Why not?"

"Because he's our prisoner."

"You're being unreasonable."

"No, I'm not."

"Chat Noir," she said through grit teeth and hands on her hips, "he is on _our_ side. If we don't put him back on Hawk Island, they're going to realize that we took him and come here! He has a job to finish for Papa anyway!"

Chat Noir grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest. Many of the men around have begun to watch the commotion and found it amusing how the pirate was easily subdued by a small girl.

"Put. Him. Back."

"...Fine," he gave in.

At this, Marinette felt relieved. She thought he was going to protest longer. "Good." She began to walk back to the house for food. "And please release him for now. He's a guest, okay?"

Chat looked like he was about to protest, but a sharp glare from the princess shut him up.

"He's a friend now," she said finally before disappearing into the house.

* * *

"I don't like you," Chat Noir said as he unlocked the cell reluctantly.

"Thanks," Luka replied as he rolled his eyes.

Upon release, the former prisoner stretched largely. "Boy, have I missed being able to do that."

"You act like we put you in a dog cage," Chat tsked.

Luka only grinned back at the pirate's response.

"Follow me," Chat ordered, "we have to talk about strategies. Plagg should already be in the meeting room."

Luka nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."

Chat blanched at the title. "Don't call me that. Especially around the men."

"Then what shall I call you?" Luka asked.

"Chat-Noir-you-handsome-beast is fine." The pirate opened the door to the shed and led Luka to the villa.

"How about just Chat like everyone else?"

"Nope. You're not like everyone else. I don't like you."

"I've been told."

"Good."

They were quiet for a while as they walked through the halls of the villa.

"This place looks familiar," Luka said.

"Does it." Chat responded flatly.

"I've been here once before," Luka continued, ignoring Chat's sarcasm, "at... a celebration of your birth, I think."

Chat did not respond.

"I was young then, around four or five," Luka pondered back, "but I remember being invited by His and Her Majesty along with my family."

"...Let it be in the past, Luka," Chat said in a light tone, but a strength was behind each word, ordering authority.

Luka caught on and remained quiet.

They finally reached the meeting room and saw Plagg waiting on one of the sofas.

"Took ya' long enough," the older man complained.

"Doesn't matter," Chat shook his head, "Let's start."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **So sorry for the long absence and short chapter. I intended for it to be longer but I've been suffering hard with writer's block and some other things going on. Just know that it's because of the reviews I received before that really pushed me to write this out even if it wasn't that good. Please give me a little bit more time. I promise it'll all tie back together.**

 **Thank you all so much for the support despite my irregularity!**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Across Oceans - Chapter Fourteen**

Marinette glared wildly up at Chat Noir's emerald eyes, gritting her teeth in irritation. His legs were straddled over her stomach, and his hands were pinning her wrists down to the side of her head. She could see the sun glaring behind his head, making it difficult to see the smug look on his face. That didn't mean she couldn't see it though. Oh boy could she see it.

"Give up yet, Princess?" He asked cockily.

"Not in a million lifetimes, scum," she spat back, channeling energy to surge through her body as she willed her body to push him off her.

She wiped off some sweat off her face and stood up, ready to fight him. "Tired?"

"Never," he smirked, getting up on his feet himself.

Marinette thought back and wondered how they got into this situation in the first place.

-x-

 _One hour earlier._

"We're leaving the island tomorrow," Chat announced as he walked down the steps of the villa.

"Where are we going?" Marinette asked, looking up at him from sitting on the bottom steps.

Chat frowned slightly. "We're putting the plan into action. I just got word from Luka that Papillon's men are preparing to leave the island to head into mainland."

The princess's heart sunk. "Does that mean-?"

"Yep."

"Oh boy."

"So, get ready with all your things because we're loading them onto the boat tonight," he said.

"Okay," Marinette agreed.

"You're strangely complacent today," Chat observed.

"Is that bad?" She yawned.

"No, but it's a little weird. Did you do something wrong?" His eyes narrowed.

"No, of course not." She turned pink slightly. "I'm not a child."

"Well," he said, unconvinced, "if you need me, I'll be in the fencing room to train."

"Okie dokie," Marinette smiled much too bright than normal.

"Right," he dragged, watching her for a few more seconds before going back inside the house.

As she lost sight of him, Marinette quickly gathered herself and ran back to her room. She pulled out her knitting basket from under her bay window chair and smiled gleefully as she pulled out a piece of large clothing. Chat Noir is going to be very surprised.

She heard the door open and turned to see who it was, reflexively hiding the fabric behind her. She relaxed her shoulders upon seeing that it was only Tikki with fresh laundry.

"Oh, it's only you, Tikki," she sighed in relief, "I was surprised. You can set that down on the bed."

"Alright," the older woman replied. Tikki's eyes fell onto the fabric in Marinette's hands, instantly filling her face with worry. "Are those your combat garments?"

"Yes!" Marinette exclaimed, racing to show Tikki, "I love how the stitching turned out on the spots. It took forever to get them to look like they were already on the fabric, but I think it's worth it."

"Yes, that is impressive, Marinette," Tikki said cautiously, "but does Chat know that you made this?"

"No," she answered, "but I'm going to show him today, and it's not like I need to get his permission to do anything."

"Okay, sweetie," Tikki sighed defeatedly, "It's all up to you."

"In fact," Marinette said, taking her dress off, "I'm going to show him right now." She took off the rest of her extra clothes (with Tikki catching every flung piece of clothing), and put on her combat garments. She ran to the full mirror near her closet and examined the way it looked on her body. "What do you think?"

"It looks great, but maybe," Tikki struggled to say the words to show what she meant, "it's a little too... showing?"

"Well, duh," Marinette said, "I made it skin tight. Do you know how hard it is to fight men six times bigger than me in a dress?"

"I suppose not." Tikki pursed her lips.

"Well, it's extremely difficult," Marinette said as a matter of fact, "but what do you think besides that?"

"The craftsmanship is amazing, Marinette," Tikki said as she got closer to Marinette's body, "The stitching looks like it took a really long time to do."

"Thank you," Marinette responded happily, "Now, I'm going to show Chat. Excuse me."

Tikki, knowing full well what kind of drama would unfold, quickly followed in suit of the princess. She would need to prepare bandages, ice, and popcorn.

-x-

"What the hell is this?" Chat Noir baffled as he gestured to all of Marinette's body.

"What do you mean 'what the hell is this'?" Marinette retorted as she rolled her eyes, "This is my fighting outfit for _when I fight_."

This time, it was Chat's eyes that rolled. "I can see that. I'm asking _why_ are you dressed like a bar wench." He paused. "Better yet, why do you have it in the first place?"

"I made it," she replied simply, twirling as she admired the outfit she adorned.

" _For what_ , Princess?"

"I already told you, dumb kitty. For fighting."

"Who says you were fighting?"

"I did."

"Well, you're not."

"Oh, that's cute. You think I have to ask for your permission." She swiped her hair off her shoulder to her back proudly.

"Well, I say you can't. End of discussion." Chat folded his arms over his chest and glared at Marinette. "You're supposed to be light, Princess. Light doesn't actually hurt anybody."

Irritated, Marinette jabbed his shoulder with her elbow, catching him off-guard.

"I say we duel right now. Winner gets what she wants," she said over Chat's wincing.

" _He_ wants, Your Annoyingness. No way you're winning," he retorted, regaining composure.

In response, Marinette used her leg to sweep him off his feet to the ground. However, Chat Noir caught this and jumped in the air, shoving her shoulder back to push her out of balance.

"Bad!" she exclaimed as she nursed her sore bottom.

"You started it," he spat back.

In response, Marinette kicked his ankle, causing him to lose balance and fall on the ground next to her.

"This means war," he declared as he threw himself on top of her to pin her down to the ground.

"Wouldn't want anything less," Marinette replied, kneeing him in the groin before taking the dominant position.

Chat Noir fell to the ground, writhing in pain as he nursed his injured crotch.

-x-

"I don't need your permission to do anything, Chat Noir," Marinette argued as she blocked a jab he tried to make at her shoulder, "We're supposed to be partners, but you've been calling all the shots. What does that make me? Chopped liver?"

"Is that what this is all about?" Chat grunted, "You not being able to sit in my room at night?"

"Oh, ha ha. So funny," she snarled back.

"You should have just said so," he replied, using his palm to shove her back, "it would've saved us all this time!"

Marinette fell on her stomach on the ground. Immediately, Chat straddled her back and pinned her to the ground. Growling in surrender, Marinette tapped two fingers on the ground and felt Chat Noir release his grip.

"I'm serious, Chat," she sighed. "I can't just be a housewife, knitting and sitting all day! I have to do something. It's to save my family." A worried expression washed over her face. "Please," she whispered inaudibly.

Chat Noir studied the look on her face and sighed. Scratching the back of his head, he pulled her up from the ground, his fingers tightly covering hers. Instead of releasing her hand, he slowly pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "All you have to do is ask, Princess."

Marinette suddenly felt ridiculous. She must look like a fool by now. It was true. All she had to do was talk. For some reason, the idea of asking to be part of the plan seemed taboo—as if a part of her still felt that she was still a prisoner rather than a partner. She unsurely raised her right hand and pat Chat Noir's back warily.

"Okay," she said. "Can I be part of the plan from now on?"

Chat smiled softly. "No."

Her eyes grew wide and her heart dropped all until she saw the mischievous glint in the pirate's eyes. Irately, she punched his shoulder.

"Ow!" he complained.

"Stop kidding around!" she demanded.

"Okay, okay. Jeez. So violent." She found this ironic coming from a pirate. "Yes, you can be part of the plan from now on. Come to my room after dinner. Plagg and I will explain everything from head to toe."

"Okay," she said a little too harshly.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay," she ended, turning around and going back to her room with Tikki in tow, first aid materials in her hands.

As Marinette closed the door, she quealed in delight. She had manipulated Chat Noir into doing what she wanted, and it felt great.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **heyyyy. I'm back at it again with a short chapter. I actually have a good excuse this time. I have a shitton of college apps to do. I actually just finished my Harvard app + interview. Now all I've left to do is await that rejection letter hahaha. Anyway, I still have my UC, Brown, Princeton, and Stanford apps to worry about so expect short filler chappies like this one probably until February once everything's turned in.**

 **thanks for understanding! I love you all, and thank you so much for the positive reviews despite me being gone for so long.**

 **-G**

 **(this chapter was brought to you by the random positive reviews I get every so often *kisses*)**


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